


Of cowboyboots and soccer Vol 3

by makerofaqueen



Series: Of cowboyboots and soccer au series [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: College AU, Conchell, Death, Did you miss him?, Fat Shaming, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hostage Situation, Ken is back, M/M, Make up sex, Me Neither, Mental Abuse, Multi, OC Ken, OC coach carl, Oc Andrew, Oc CJ, Oc Kendra - Freeform, Pneumonia, Racism, Relationship Trouble, Smut, Soccer AU, Trans Nico di Angelo, blind, celebrating, crappy parents overall, fucker needs to stay the fuck in jail, homophobic parent, hostage, top surgery, volume three, well he's kind of a parent anyway, yes you read that correctly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-05-13 01:45:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19241323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makerofaqueen/pseuds/makerofaqueen
Summary: Woop! It's that time of the year again! I present to you the third installment of OCAS (can you Believe it's my third year doing this?? Me neither!!)Check out Vol 1 and 2 Before Reading this, will you? It'll help ;)





	1. Chapter 1

Cecil got a text during his lecture. He glanced down at it and saw it was from Lou. _Weird_ , he thought, but he didn’t read it until he was out of the classroom when the lecture was over. Cecil was _not_ the kind of guy who focused on other things during class.

 

_Coming to the big apple in a few days. You got time for a coffee?_

 

Of course he had time for a coffee, but did he want to? He wasn’t sure, so he left her on read and went back to Jason and Piper’s place. The three of them had been successfully dating for a few month’s now and things were really going great. The only weird thing, at least as far as Piper and Jason were concerned, was that the two of them were living together while Cecil was still in his dorm. Jason had been pestering him to join them in the apartment, but Cecil wanted to wait some more.

Cecil on his end was worried he’d move in and then they would get sick of him and kick him out. He wanted to be sure _everyone_ was in it for the long haul first. He thought Piper understood him, she had been doing the same thing for a few months before she finally moved in with Jason. However, he did go there often, at least a few times a week. Sometimes one of them or both came to visit him, too. The other days he valued being alone. That was another thing he was worried about with moving in with partners, because how was he going to be able to explain to them that he needed days without them to just be _alone_?

Jason wasn’t home when he got there, only Piper was in the kitchen. She was sitting by the table doing homework. Cecil had let himself in. Even though he refused to move there they had given him his own key so he could come and go like he wanted to. He was kind of glad Jason wasn’t there, because he knew he was going to talk Cecil into not going. Piper was more neutral, she didn’t let her emotions take over as much as Jason did. He had trouble with Lou because Lou had trouble accepting that Cecil was ace. For obvious reasons that irked Jason. Piper on the other hand could relate to people feeling differently than her. Just because her boys didn’t want to have sex, that didn’t mean she couldn’t let other people want it. Fuck, they understood that _she_ needed it. What was the difference with Lou?

‘Hey you,’ she said when Cecil entered the kitchen. ‘There’s coffee in the pot.’

‘Thanks.’ Cecil poured himself a cup before he kissed her on the top of the head, then sat himself down next to her at the table. ‘How’s it going?’

‘I’m slowly but surely getting the hang of it,’ she said. ‘Thanks for helping me last night.’

‘S’nothing,’ he said. ‘Actually, I kinda need _your_ help with something now.’

‘Yeah?’ She closed her book and eyed him with interest. ‘That’s good, I need a break.’

Cecil took a sip while he thought about how he was going to say this, then he just blurted out:

‘Lou wants to meet up.’

‘Oh. That’s… interesting.’

‘Yeah, you can say that again.’

‘Did she call?’

‘Nah, she knows better than to call. She texted me today and said she was coming to New York and wondered if I had time for a coffee.’

‘What did you answer?’

‘I haven’t yet. Wanted some advice from you first.’

‘Well, if it was _me,_ I would go. You know, just to hear her out. That would be interesting.’

‘That’s what I thought, too, but I’m worried there might be feelings there still.’

‘If that’s the case then there’s not much to do about it, is there?’ she said. Cecil was still amazed how wise she sounded whenever she gave advice. ‘And… you know I’m dating you two and Annabeth, so if you wanted to date Lou again it wouldn’t mean that the three of us would need to break up.’

‘I guess you do have a point there,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t go there in hopes of dating her again, though. I would just go to hear her out. See what she’s been up to these past months.’

‘Then I think you should go. But…’

‘…don’t tell Jason,’ Cecil finished her sentence. Piper smiled.

‘At least not ahead of time. Tell him once it’s done, but he’s only gonna worry about it and you without being able to do anything about it. I love the guy, but he does have a habit of putting his nose where it doesn’t belong.’

Cecil nodded. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and texted Lou.

 

**Sure. When are you coming?**

 

_On Monday and then staying a week. Wednesday?_

 

**In the morning. We can have breakfast. Then I’ve got classes from 11 to 7. There’s a café on campus. I’ll text you the details later. See you Wednesday.**

 

‘Wednesday,’ he said to Piper. ‘Before class, so if things go bad, I can use class as an outing.’

‘Cool. I’m rooting for you.’

Cecil sipped his coffee and made a face.

‘Why do I feel like I just made a huge mistake?’

She gave him a soft smile.

‘Do you want me or Jason to go with you?’

He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head.

‘I think this is one demon I need to face alone. But… it wouldn’t hurt if one of you or both maybe dropped me off so she could see you. I kind of want to show off my pretty partners,’ he mumbled and blushed. Piper squeezed his arm, smiled and nodded.

 

\----------------------------------

 

He saw Lou Ellen through the café window. The sight almost made him want to turn around and leave. She looked good, he had to admit that. Old feelings of rejections rose in his throat like bile. Then he thought about Piper and Jason, and… well, that made things better. Despite Piper’s early hesitation, Cecil had gone ahead and told Jason about meeting Lou because he hated having secrets. Piper had been right, Jason hadn’t taken it very well, but the two of them had convinced him there was nothing he could do about it and that Cecil would be just fine.

Lou was watching the entrance and waved at him through the window. Cecil made a show to kiss both Jason and Piper goodbye, even though he usually wasn’t big on PDA, just so she would see it before he pushed open the door to the café and entered. He ordered a coffee and a sandwich before he sat down opposite her at the table. She was staring at the handsome couple as they left.

‘Friends of yours?’ she asked when he sat down.

‘Partners,’ he shrugged, like it was no big deal. ‘Hi, how are you?’

‘Good,’ she said and looked like she tried to shake the look of Piper and Jason off of her.

‘Why are you in New York?’

‘Right to the point as always. My boyfriend is visiting his parents and asked me to tag along.’

‘Ah, I see. Is that the same boyfriend you dumped me over?’

‘That would be the one, yes,’ she said and looked bashful. Cecil was secretly wondering where all his bravado came from. This wasn’t like him at all, being this confrontational. Fuck, he had avoided talking to Lou for months before they broke it off just to not have to talk about it. Now he was all offense and she actually looked a little thrown off her game. Cecil sipped his coffee rather contentedly. It may have been petty of him but he couldn’t care less at this point.

 

\-----------------------

 

‘What part of _I don’t want to talk about it_ don’t you understand?!’

Connor peeked his head around the corner just in time to see Andrew storm off. For such a short guy he did manage a great storm-off.  CJ were standing in the hallway, looking deflated. Connor could have sworn he had shrunk by several inches over the past seconds.

‘You can come out now,’ he said.

Connor and Mitchell had been hiding around the corner for the entirety of Andrew and CJ’s fight. The three of them had been talking and when Andrew had come, they had hurried off, right into a dead end.

Apparently, CJ and Andrew had had an argument over phone a few nights prior and now CJ wanted to try and resolve it. Andrew was not having any of it.

‘So do you want to tell us what the problem is?’ Mitchell asked as they started walking to practice. ‘All we caught was that he was really angry about something.’

‘Yeah, his… his parents are coming to visit for his birthday.’

‘But that’s good, right?’ Connor asked.

‘Nope,’ Mitchell disagreed. ‘Darling you’re forgetting that they resent his sexuality.’

‘Oh, right.’ Connor rubbed his neck. ‘That sucks.’

‘Yeah, well…’ CJ said. ‘Thing is, it’s during our game in two weeks. The game where that scout is rumored to be coming…’

‘…and you want him to be there so you can present your A-game,’ Mitchell concluded. ‘Dude, I get that.’

‘Yeah. I really need this, and I need him to be there, I just…’ CJ shrugged. ‘I asked him to bring them and tell them he wanted to watch his friend’s important game but apparently they’re racist as well and he’s terrified they’ll find out somehow. Not only that he’s dating a guy, but that he’s dating a _black_ guy. Just being friends with one is pushing it for him.’

‘Do you want me to talk to him?’ Mitchell asked. ‘I mean, I should check on him anyway, we’ve become close friends.’

‘Could you?’ CJ asked.

‘Love to,’ Mitchell smiled.

‘Mitchell is great with these things,’ Connor said and laced their fingers together. ‘He’ll figure something out.’

After practice, Mitchell called Andrew. If the guy asked he had decided he wanted to ask him about some recipe, since Andrew was their go to guy for all things food. He didn’t need to, as soon as he answered, Mitchell could hear that Andrew had been crying.

‘Hey, sweetie, what’s wrong?’ Mitchell asked instead. Andrew started sobbing. ‘Do you want me to come over?’ Mitchell asked then.

‘C.. could you?’ Andrew choked out between sobs.

‘Of course, anything for you. I’ll borrow Connor’s car and I’ll be there in a little while, okay?’

‘O.. okay.’

‘I’ll stop on the way to get you some Ben and Jerry’s okay?’

‘Thank… Thank you, Mitchell.’

‘No worries man. See you soon.’

Connor looked up at him from the other bed. He held out his car key and dangled it at Mitchell.

‘She needs some gas,’ he said.

‘I got it,’ Mitchell smiled. He kissed Connor on the cheek. ‘I’ll let you know when I’m on my way home, as usual.’

‘Promise?’

‘Yeah. Promise.’

Mitchell stopped at a gas station and got some gas and a bucket of Ben and Jerry’s, then he continued to Andrew’s place. He was sharing an apartment off campus with a girl he had gotten to know over the internet. She wasn’t home at the moment which was probably a good thing because Andrew was a mess. His cheeks were tear-streaked and his eyes were puffy and red. His normally meticulously styled orange hair was messy and dull. He was wearing a t-shirt, which was a garment Mitchell had _never_ seen him in before. Usually Andrew only wore dress shirts. Mitchell held up the ice cream.

‘Special delivery,’ he said. Andrew gestured for him to get inside. They walked in. Mitchell _had_ been at the place before. It was always spotless and smelled faintly of lemon and vanilla. Now there were takeout boxes everywhere and the curtains were drawn.

‘What the fuck…?’

Andrew shrugged and threw himself on the couch. He hugged a pillow. Mitchell drew the curtains open to let the sunlight in.

‘How long have you been moping?’ he asked.

‘A week or so,’ Andrew admitted. ‘I’ve been trying to keep it from CJ, from you… from everyone I know, basically.’

Mitchell sneezed from the dust that had been collecting on the curtains.

‘Sorry dude, I know your allergies…’ Andrew started but Mitchell waved off the apology. He blew his nose in a tissue he fished up from his pocket, then he sat down on the couch. Andrew had started digging into the ice cream already.

‘So do you want to tell me what’s wrong?’ Mitchell asked.

Andrew sighed.

‘My parents are coming to visit.’

‘For your birthday?’

Andrew nodded.

‘Is that a bad thing?’

‘Well…’ Andrew started, while he swallowed a spoon-full of ice cream. ‘They’re not exactly supporting of my… of me.’

‘You told me once they weren’t accepting of your sexuality, that they had basically crammed you back into the closet after you finally came out to them.’

Andrew sniffled. Mitchell understood this was hard for him. Tough memories. He knew Andrew had gotten this apartment instead of staying on campus so he didn’t have to go home during summer break, but could stay in New York year round. He had a job at a convenient store which he had worked the entire summer and some nights and weekends during the school year.

‘It’s not just my sexuality,’ Andrew said. ‘It’s… me.’

‘You? I… don’t follow?’

‘It’s… my sexuality, sure, they loathe that. But before that it was my bad eyesight. They resented that I needed glasses. It cost them money. It’s the fact that I’m gluten intolerant. That was a hassle for them, especially my mom who did the cooking. It’s the fact that I’m not exactly skinny, either. Every year I get consistently chubbier and they… they tease me relentlessly about it. Dad says I should just go on a diet already, but I’ve been on them all and none of them has worked.’

Andrew eyed the ice cream with distaste before he shrugged and ate another spoon. Mitchell thought about it for a moment, before he asked:

‘What do _you_ think?’

‘About what?’

‘Yourself.’

‘I like myself. That’s what sucks. I don’t have any problems with needing glasses or being overweight. _Especially_ since I met CJ, he’s so…’ Andrew looked sad for a moment. ‘But I do when they’re around because they give me so much shit about it. They make me hate myself.’

Mitchell hummed. He had trouble imagining someone hating their own child that much, but Andrew was in such a state that he had to believe him. No wonder he had been worried about taking them to the game. One wrong look from CJ and they would be all over poor Andrew.

‘CJ thinks you’re mad at him for something,’ Mitchell said.

‘Is that why you’re here?’

‘No. I’m here because you’re my friend and I wanted to make sure you were okay. Yes, because CJ told me you guys had been arguing, but it wasn’t like he asked me to check on you or anything. I’m your friend.’

‘Thanks, Mitchell. The thing is their visit is the weekend when there’s supposedly some scout watching you guys play and CJ wanted me to be there because he wanted some support. But I can’t… I’m worried. I can’t even tell them I have a black friend. Can you imagine that?’

‘No,’ Mitchell answered honestly. ‘I can’t imagine that.’

‘And imagine if they somehow figured out... figured out that we’re a couple. That we’ve been in bed together. They would flip. I can’t risk that, Mitchell, I really can’t. Not just for my sake, but for his, too.’

‘Can’t you tell them… can’t you tell them you’re watching me?’

Andrew eyed him with a deadpan look.

‘You’re literally _the_ gayest person I know Mitchell, sorry.’

Mitchell frowned.

‘…right. I am, I know. Sorry, that didn’t exactly help.’

Andrew suddenly got a spark in his eyes that had been absent all the time Mitchell had been there.

 ‘…but Connor’s not. Connor could pass as straight. At least on the field. He doesn’t have the…’ Andrew did a hand gesture that struck Mitchell as GayTM. He nodded, because he understood what Andrew meant. Mitchell and Andrew both talked intensely with their hands. Connor did not. He had what Mitchell jokingly referred to as straight-guy body language. ‘I could tell them that he’s my friend and I want to watch his game because of the scout being there. Dad will be pleased that I show an interest in sports for the first time in my life and I get to watch CJ play. Just… no kissing on the field, please?’

‘Sure thing,’ Mitchell smiled. He was happy now that Andrew seemed to be pulling himself together a little.

‘Thank you. That’s one problem out of the way. Also my very lesbian roommate is staying with her girlfriend for the weekend, so that’s another problem solved. But I still have to survive the weekend without hiding in a closet eating ice cream when they don’t notice.’

‘If you need some support you can always text me,’ Mitchell said. ‘Just to hear a kind word if for no other reason. You can do this, Andrew, I believe in you.’

Mitchell was emotionally spent when he returned home to Connor. His boyfriend was waiting up for him, as always when Mitchell was out doing something without him. Connor was always worried when Mitchell wasn’t home, ever since the Ken-incident. That’s why Mitchell was always meticulous about telling him his whereabouts.

‘Hi, honey, I’m home,’ Mitchell said and sunk down on the bed next to Connor. Connor had changed into his sleeping t-shirt and boxers. He slung his arm around Mitchell’s waist.

‘How is he?’

‘Shit,’ Mitchell said. ‘Fuck Con, I can’t even imagine how much shit his own parents put him through. It’s not just the gay-thing, it’s his weight, his glasses, his gluten-intolerance… Every little thing they find, they give him shit about. He’s not just _worried_ about them finding out he’s dating a black man. He’s _terrified_.’

‘I think you and I are seriously lucky in the parent-department. You know, if you don’t count Ken.’

‘No one ever does,’ Mitchell said dismissively. ‘Do you mind if I don’t brush my teeth tonight?’

‘Nope.’

‘Good,’ Mitchell said and fell on his back in bed. Connor helped him out of his jeans, then they both fell asleep tangled in each other’s arms.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CJ turns to his dad for relationship advice and Nico has something to celebrate.

There was a knock on Will’s door. He barely heard it over the music he was blasting in his headphones during study time. It was weird, he wasn’t expecting anyone and everyone he knew was aware that they shouldn’t disturb him during study time. When he opened the door, Nico was standing outside. Will frowned, but Nico just pushed past him and threw himself on Will’s bed.

‘Yes, I know I’m interrupting study time but I got you coffee and I have something to tell you,’ he said, smiling widely. He handed Will a cup from the nearest café on campus. They had his favorite cinnamon latte all year round. He loved to pretend it was Christmas every month. He couldn’t be mad at Nico when he came bearing gifts like that. He leaned down and kissed his boyfriend, then he sat down in his desk chair and sipped the latte.

‘So, what’s up then?’

‘I got the date.’

It took Will a couple of seconds to process _which_ date Nico was talking about because his head was currently filled with the Latin names for the bones in a human foot. Then the penny dropped, and he exclaimed:

‘Sweetie, that’s great! Congratulations!’

‘Thanks,’ Nico said, still smiling widely. ‘It’s about time,’ he said.

‘Yeah. I know you’ve been waiting for it a long time.’

Nico nodded, then he said:

‘So, I was thinking… do you want to go out to dinner and celebrate tonight?’

‘Sure, honey. I’m all crammed full of knowledge anyhow. I need a break.’

‘Good, because I told Mitchell and Connor to meet us in two hours so we can all celebrate together.’

Will made a surprised face.

‘That’s awfully sociable of you.’

Nico sighed.

‘Yeah, well… You’ve been telling me I need to socialize more and I thought… I kind of like them both, so why not? Right? Or did I step over some socially accepted line, because they’re technically _your_ friends?’

‘No, you didn’t. Hey, you knew Mitchell before you knew me. And for the record, I think it’s a great idea. Do they know what we’re celebrating?’

‘Nope. I thought maybe we could tell them together?’

Will realized Nico was nervous about telling Connor, because as far as Connor knew, Nico was cis. He knew that Mitchell knew, Nico had told Will about the talk they had had that previous spring, before they all went to Piper’s cottage and Nico had no choice but to come out to his boyfriend. This was Nico’s indirect way of asking for Will’s support with something that made him nervous.

‘Sure thing. Where are we going?’

‘Just to our regular place,’ Nico said. ‘S’gonna be fun to see Connor dressed up, though. I never have.’

‘I’m not sure he knows how,’ Will said.

‘He’s dating Mitchell. Of course he does,’ Nico said.

 

\------------------------------

 

‘Can I stay here tonight?’ CJ was fidgeting in the hallway. His father looked him up and down. His eyes were bloodshot like he had been crying.

‘Come in. Sit down. I’ll make you some tea.’

CJ did as he was told. Carl came and joined him a few minutes later with two steaming cups. He placed one in front of his son who was running his hands over his face. He always did when he was upset about something.

‘What happened?’ he asked. CJ sighed.

‘I… kind of got in a rather big fight with Andy.’

‘What did you do?’

CJ eyed his father.

‘Why do you assume…?’

‘Because Andrew is the sweetest thing to ever set foot on New York soil. I’m assuming you’re at fault here.’

‘Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence dad.’

Carl took a sip of his tea, then he corked an eyebrow and said:

‘So, what _did_ you do?’

‘Okay, so I admit I _might_ have stepped on his toes a little but this is so important to me. I can’t… You know the scout?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Andy says he can’t come to the game and I kind of lost it because it would mean so much to me if he did.’

‘Because…?’

‘Because it’s an important game and for some reason I’m always better when I can see that orange mop of hair on the stands. Look, I know I still have a couple of years left of college but I want to make a good impression none the less. This is Europe we’re talking about dad. Europe! Soccer is huge there, I can make a career out of it. Play for a few years, then move back home with enough money to have a comfortable life. To give _him_ a comfortable life.’

Carl nodded. He knew this had been CJ’s dream ever since he was little and noticed he had a talent for the game. Of course his son was upset when they were sure a scout was coming to watch them and his boyfriend couldn’t be there to support him.

‘What does Andrew say?’

‘That his parents are coming to town and that’s why he can’t make it.’

‘If I remember correctly his parents are less than supportive of his way of life, correct?’

‘That’s right, but…’

‘So one might assume that he’s worried about them realizing he’s dating you. You know son, I seem to recall that you have _two_ things speaking against you here. You’re not only a guy, you’re black, too.’

‘I know, but…’

‘And if _I_ was your boyfriend,’ Carl charged on, effectively ignoring the way his son tried to cut him off, ‘I would be worried about _you_. Have you thought about that? That he might not want the three of you to meet because he’s worried about what they might say to _you_? I’m sure Andrew can handle their harsh words, he’s had a lifetime of practice doing that and trust me when I say that boy have a lot thicker skin than most people give him credit for.’

‘I know he does. It’s one of the things I love about him, he’s so low-key fierce,’ CJ smiled tiredly. ‘I just… I haven’t thought about it like that. That it might be for my sake. But why doesn’t he just say so?’

‘Because spoken words aren’t his strong side. You know that. Your boy’s a writer, Jonas. Expressing himself verbally isn’t his forte.’

CJ nodded. He knew that. It was so obvious when his father said it but he had been so caught up in sulking he hadn’t been able to think about this properly. Of course Andrew was worried about him and not himself. It was such an Andrew thing to worry about.

Carl realized his words had taken hold so he continued:

‘Ya know, you’d better make that boy your husband at some point because you’re never gonna find anyone better.’

CJ patted his dad’s knee as he got up.

‘Don’t worry dad. It’s in the pipe-line. As soon as I make enough money to give him a proper home I’m tying him up. For now though, I’m going to bed. I’m spent.’

Carl watched his son go into his old bedroom. Once the door was closed he looked at the picture of CJ’s mother on the wall and sighed.

‘Oh Debs,’ he mumbled. ‘I wish you could’ve been here to see all this. Our son is growing up too fast. I can hardly keep up anymore.’

 

\------------------------------

 

Mitchell and Connor were waiting at the curb when Nico and Will arrived by cab at the restaurant. They got out and even Nico greeted Mitchell with a hug.

‘Why are you standing here? I told you to go in if you were early.’

‘Yeah, well, they wouldn’t let us in,’ Mitchell said. He gave Nico a pointed look and then glanced at Connor. He was standing half a step behind Mitchell, holding his hand and staring into the ground.

‘I’ve ruined the evening,’ he mumbled.

‘What happened?’ Nico frowned.

Connor blushed and shifted his footing. Nico couldn’t see anything wrong. Actually, Connor was looking great in a pair of Mitchell’s dark skinny jeans, black converses and a leather jacket over a sea green button down.

‘They first said he couldn’t enter with those shoes on, then when we told them we were waiting for you they called us liars and threw us out.’

‘Fuck,’ Nico hissed. ‘I’m wearing the exact same sneakers _every_ time I go here. This is stupid. Con, you did nothing wrong. I’m gonna go talk to them.’

Connor mumbled something inaudible into Mitchell’s shoulder while Nico stormed past them and into the restaurant. Will followed him with his eyes.

‘Oh he angry now,’ he said. ‘So anyway Mitch, what’s up?’

Nico paused just outside the doors to take a couple of deep breaths before he opened the door and strolled up to the head waiter who was standing at his podium by the entrance.

‘Why good evening, Mr. Di Angelo. How may I help you tonight?’

‘I had a table reserved, Armando. A party of four. Only, now I hear that you’ve been treating my guests poorly. Actually, one of them is so upset I might want to cancel my reservation. I might want to cancel _all_ of our reservations. Even my father’s.’

The waiter, Armando, peered around Nico and looked at the boys he had denied service talking to Mr. Di Angelo’s boyfriend. He knew Will by now, of course. They came here all the time, the same as the older Mr. Di Angelo. If they lost the Di Angelos as customers because of this, he was gonna have to look for a new job asap.

‘I’m so sorry, Mr. Di Angelo. I thought…’

‘You thought they were trying to fool you so you made up stupid reason’s not to let them in. Next time someone mentions my name, even if they _are_ lying, you fucking treat them with respect. You made him think he’d ruined a _very_ important evening for all of us and he’s feeling really bad about it. That is on you. Do you know what is also on you, Armando?’

‘…no?’

‘Making the fuck up for it. We want your best table, we want a personal waiter tonight and we want tonight to be _on the house_. And trust me when I say that tonight is going to be expensive for you. Do this, and I won’t tell my dad what happened here tonight. If he doesn’t know about this, he won’t want to take his business meals elsewhere. Do we have an understanding?’

‘Yes. Yes, Mr. Di Angelo.’

‘And promise me one thing.’

‘What?’

‘You do not, under any circumstances, apologize to him in person. That will only make him feel worse. You make us all one of those nice, big ice cream bowls for desert. A lactose free one. Put some Chinese sparklers in it. He’ll love that.’

‘Yes, of course. Definitely.’

‘Good. I’ll go get my party now.’

Nico turned on his heel and made a point to casually stroll back to his friends. He smiled when he reached them. He put his hand on the small of Connor’s back and gestured with his other hand towards the restaurant. It made his skin crawl to touch people but right now he figured Connor kind of needed it. Will looked at him and gave him an appreciative look.

‘Shall we?’

‘E.. even me?’ Connor asked.

‘Yeah, Con, most definitely you. This was just a tiny misunderstanding. Come on, our table is waiting.’

They sat down and ordered. Nico whispered to the waitress and asked her to bring them a bottle of champagne. He looked thoughtful for a second, before he gestured to her to hang on for a moment, then he leaned in closer to Will and whispered in his ear:

‘Am I remembering correctly if I think Connor doesn’t drink alcohol?’

Will nodded.

‘His meds doesn’t work with alcohol.’

‘Oh. Alright.’

He turned towards the waitress and asked her to instead bring them a bottle of alcohol-free sparkling wine. She nodded and left.

 

\-----------------------------

 

CJ sighed. He couldn’t sleep. He had sent Andrew a message and asked if they could talk over text, maybe, if Andrew didn’t want to talk to him in person. That was two hours ago but Andrew hadn’t responded. Hell, he hadn’t even read it. This was torture for CJ. He needed Andrew so badly in his life. It was something he had realized now that they were fighting, he never wanted to go days without talking to Andrew ever again. As sad as it was, CJ did need the other boy. He was like a drug. A short, chubby, ginger drug and CJ was addicted to every fucking inch of him.

 

\------------------------------

 

‘So,’ Mitchell said after a little while when he felt Connor had relaxed again after the incident when they first got there. ‘You said something about celebrating tonight. What _are_ we celebrating exactly?’

‘Well,’ Nico started as he poured his glass of bubbly and then handed the bottle to Will. Will poured the other three glasses and started handing them out. ‘I have an announcement to make.’ He glanced at Will who handed Connor the last glass. Will grabbed Nico’s hand on the table top and squeezed it, giving Nico the courage to continue. ‘I… I’ve spoken to my doctor and I’ve gotten the date for my top surgery. It’s in a couple of months.’

Mitchell smiled widely and congratulated him. They clinked their glasses. Nico was watching Connor who was frowning a little, but he didn’t say anything. Then the waitress came out with the giant ice cream bowl which caught his attention.

It wasn’t until they were back out on the street outside the restaurant, about an hour later, that Connor blurted out:

‘I thought you were cis!’

Nico turned to look at him. He grabbed Will’s hand as he did so.

‘Yeah, well, that’s how I like it,’ he said. ‘But I consider you my friends, and I wanted you to know.’

Connor was staring at Nico like a deer in headlights because that had _so_ been an ADHD tongue slip and he hadn’t meant to say it. Mitchell took his hand and rubbed the inside of the wrist gently with his thumb.

‘I-I.. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…’

‘It’s okay,’ Mitchell cooed in his ear.

Nico walked up to Connor and pulled Will with him.

‘Look, Con, you’re the only one here that didn’t know. Mitchell… I told Mitchell before we went to Piper’s beach house and I asked him not to tell anyone. Don’t be mad at him.’

‘I’m not. I think I’m mentally incapable of being mad at Mitchell. I was just surprised… Then I had to think about it for a little while and now I wanted to ask you about it before you left for the night.’

Nico smiled faintly.

‘I… I wanted to celebrate with my friends and I felt a little bad that I hadn’t come out to you yet.’

‘But you don’t have any obligation to…’

‘No, I know that. But I _wanted_ you to know. And I’m so freaking excited about the surgery I believed it called for a night out.’

Mitchell snaked his arm around Connor’s waist.

‘It totally did. and for the record, babe, I would have told you as soon as Nico said it was okay.’

‘I know,’ Connor said and nuzzled his face in Mitchell’s hair.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew and CJ make up finally.
> 
> This chapter is very oc-centered so if you don't like the boys then you should probably skip it.
> 
> OH! And it's smutty.

CJ woke up when the doorbell rang. Who the hell rang someone else’s doorbell at six in the morning? He hadn’t exactly gotten much sleep, either. After the last few days of fighting with his boyfriend he had been too anxious to relax and go to sleep last night. He was halfway up when he heard his father answer the door. There were muffled sounds from him talking to someone, and then the door closed. CJ laid back in bed, figuring someone had rung on the wrong door, when his father opened the door to his bedroom with a loud bang and stomped up to his bed.

‘You up?’ Carl said a lot louder than necessary.

‘No,’ CJ retorted sourly and hid his face under the cover.

‘Well then get up because you have a visitor. An important one. Chop-chop.’

CJ sat up and rubbed his eyes, only then did he notice Andrew standing shyly behind his father in the door. CJ became hopeful and nervous at the same time. He understood what Carl had meant. They had been talking about the boys’ argument and Carl had decided his son was a selfish idiot who demanded too much from his boyfriend. Carl had all but adopted Andrew since the boy clearly had no other support in his life.

Andrew was holding two cups with the Starbucks logo. The smell of hot chocolate spread in the room. That boy could not learn how to drink coffee like a proper adult, CJ thought. It was endearing.

Carl left when he was certain CJ wouldn’t go back to sleep. ‘I’m going to work,’ he said and closed the front door after him. Andrew stood silent in the opening to CJ’s bedroom for a while before he said in a small voice:

‘So…’

CJ patted his bed. Andrew hesitated for a moment before he sighed and sat down next to him. He handed CJ one of the cups. Cinnamon latte. His favorite. But of course Andrew knew that and this was a peace offering of sorts. CJ laced their fingers together on the cover of his bed and looked at Andrew expectantly. His boyfriend was sporting a very deep shade of red on his cheeks and he looked like he was struggling to find his words.

Classic Andrew.

He was an amazing writer and CJ wouldn’t have been surprised if instead of a conversation he would have gotten a letter, but here Andrew was and CJ knew that was Andrew’s way of showing him how much he cared about him. So he waited, sipping his coffee in the process. After about fifteen minutes, Andrew whispered:

‘I’m sorry if I woke you up. I… I know you usually sleep longer but I couldn’t sleep and I felt like I had to see you.’

‘No, honey, don’t worry. I’m glad you came. It’s just that I only fell asleep a few hours ago.’

‘Why?’

‘Probably for the same reason that you couldn’t sleep any longer this morning, I assume?’

‘Oh.’

‘Look, I get that something’s been bothering you for a while now and honestly I feel crappier about the fact that you don’t seem to want to tell me about it than the fact that you screamed at me. So what’s wrong?’

Andrew sighed and deflated. CJ put his arm around his waist and stroke his belly just above the jeans where the shirt had ridden up a little. Andrew was back to his own meticulous self as far as dressing and styling was concerned. CJ instantly realized he had made a mistake when touching his boyfriend’s soft skin because now he just wanted Andrew. Apologies and shit could wait. But… but CJ knew that if Andrew didn’t get to talk now, he would never do it, so he starting thinking about brick walls and icebergs.

‘Mitchell told me I needed to let you in on… me… more,’ Andrew started, ‘so I guess… Can you do me a favor?’

‘Anything.’

‘Just listen. Don’t do that thing you do when you interrupt me because you think I just said something self-deprecating and need to reassure me. Please?’

‘…alright.’ CJ didn’t like where this was heading, but if his boyfriend needed him to promise, then he would.

‘My parents hate me. My brothers are perfect in their eyes. One of them just finished college and the other one is a freshmen. They’re both playing sports. They’re both getting great grades. They’re both on full scholarships. They’re… they’re basically you, but white and straight. Very. Straight.’

‘Uh-huh…’

‘I actually tried some sports when I was a kid, but I quit pretty early on because I was shit at it. Anything I tried. When I had to get my first pair of glasses the bullying started. First from my older brother, then my younger. After a while dad joined them, too. Mom has never said anything other than that I should just suck it up because glasses are expensive. It got worse when they realized I’m gluten intolerant. Mom resented having to cook me special food every day. She says it’s a lot harder for her, and it takes her twice as long to prepare dinner every night because she has to cook two meals, since the rest of the family can’t be expected to eat my special diet.’

Andrew took a sip of his hot chocolate and seemed to be thinking about something.

‘When I started baking and cooking, they called me a sissy. I never… I never understood why cooking was considered a wife-thing, but for them it is. Even mom claims that that’s something the woman in the family should do. Like there would ever _be_ a woman in my family, except for maybe a daughter someday. Hopefully. Also… when I started enjoying baking, that’s when I started putting on weight. It was like the last straw or something. It gave all of them a legitimate reason to pick on me. They all do it, all four of them. Calling me fat, useless…’

‘…ginger?’

‘No, we’re all gingers, but I guess I should be grateful for that.’

CJ stroke Andrew’s cheek with his nose.

‘When I came out to them, mom slapped me. She said no son of hers would be enough of a sissy to actually take it in the ass. I… We’ve never spoken about it since. It’s the first time they’re visiting since I moved so it’s kind of a big deal.’

‘And introducing them to me would ruin it.’

‘You don’t understand. They’re racist bigots. The fact that they know I’m gay is bad enough, if I introduce them to you… It’s not just for my sake, I’m worried about you, too.’

‘No, I get that. But not even being able to take them to the game?’

‘I… thought I couldn’t do that because I can’t even tell them I’m friends with a black guy, let alone dating one. But… I think I can bring them to the game, only I can’t tell them we’re watching you.’

‘I’m okay with that. Tell them you’re watching Connor, he’s straight-passing.’

‘That’s what Mitchell said, too.’

CJ started laughing. Andrew watched him with a thin smile on his face. When he was finished, Andrew took a sip of his hot chocolate and said:

‘Are we okay? I’m sorry about not telling you, but it’s so anxiety-inducing for me just that they’re coming and I think I needed to digest that first.’

‘Yeah, we’re okay. I should have figured. You have told me that they’re not accepting, I just didn’t know it would be this bad. And for the record…’

‘Yeah?’

‘You’re the hottest person I know. Glasses, flab and everything.’

‘You really think so?’

CJ had let his hand slip back inside Andrew’s shirt and now he squeezed his belly and kissed the skin under his ear at the same time. Andrew whimpered.

‘You’re damn right I think so,’ CJ breathed in his ear.

‘I can feel that,’ Andrew hissed, no doubt referring to CJ’s massive erection pressing against his thigh. Andrew couldn’t help himself, he put his free hand on it and pressed down. CJ moaned in his ear and that sound made Andrew develop an erection of his own.

’You’re wearing too much clothes,’ CJ whispered.

‘I know,’ Andrew agreed. ‘Help me. I’m too down to lead today.’

‘Oh pretty I’ll do all the leading you need me to,’ CJ purred. He took the now empty Starbucks cup from Andrew’s hand and placed it on the nightstand, then he half lifted, half turned Andrew so they were facing each other. He laid Andrew down on his back so he could access the buttons on his jeans. That was the only problem Andrew could see about being chubby, that his belly was in the way of opening his jeans when he was sitting. Although CJ had never seemed to mind. At least he never complained.

_Actually_ , in all the time they had dated (and they were well into their second year now) CJ had never _once_ commented on Andrew’s weight. Not even though it was obvious that he had gotten a little chubbier since they had started dating. It was one of the things Andrew loved about him.

Now, CJ was pulling his jeans down and he made sure to take off Andrew’s socks as well. Andrew had always been very strict about the no socks during sex rule. He found it repulsive. CJ found _that_ kind of cute.

He leaned in to kiss the inside of Andrew’s thigh and was rewarded with a twitch of Andrew’s dick. He looked at it, then he gave it a poke with his tongue through Andrew’s boxers.

‘Cee…’ Andrew moaned. He only called CJ that during sex (or when he was really tired) because articulating CJ when you’re moaning is kind of a mouthful. Not to mention Carl-Jonas. That was something _CJ_ had a rule against saying during sex.

Said CJ now pulled Andrew up in a sitting position so he could remove first his sweater and then unbutton his shirt before he pushed it off his shoulders. Andrew was sitting on the side of the bed now, palming himself while CJ discarded his own sweats and boxers. CJ was looking down on him with hunger in his eyes.

‘I’ve missed you,’ he said as he got to his knees. Andrew didn’t think he could get harder, but when CJ started wriggling his boxers down, he did. He was so hard it hurt now. If CJ didn’t give him some release soon he would die from erection. Andrew braced his hands on the bed and lifted his hips up so CJ could pull his boxers down. He threw them in the general direction of nowhere and then put his hands on Andrew’s knees. He slowly inched his hands closer and closer to the area where Andrew wanted them most. Andrew squirmed.

‘Are you torturing me on purpose?’

CJ grinned.

‘You need to be punished for behaving like you did. What have we said about keeping each other out of our problems?’

‘I know. I’m sorry about that.’

‘I love you. I could have helped. You didn’t have to take it out on me when it got too much because I could have helped with that if only you’d have told me earlier.’

‘I know that. I’m so, so sorry.’

‘Apology accepted,’ CJ said and kissed the top of Andrew’s dick.

‘I’m really glad your dad left,’ Andrew breathed.

‘Me too,’ CJ said before he took Andrew’s head in his mouth and swirled his tongue over it. Andrew moaned loudly. His fingers dug into the sheets on the bed. ‘Again,’ CJ mumbled, still with his mouth full of dick. Andrew moaned again, louder this time. He pinched his butt cheeks together tight because of the anticipation. CJ slid his hands to rest on the outside of Andrew’s thighs. He lifted his right hand up and slapped Andrew on the butt cheek.

‘Oh Cee! Please. It’s been days.’

CJ let Andrew’s dick go and looked up at him. He actually had a little pre-cum hanging from his bottom lip. Andrew wiped it off with his thumb, then he grabbed CJ by the dreadlocks and pulled him in for a kiss. At the same time he leaned backwards so he was lying on his back and CJ ended up on top of him.

‘Does this mean you want to bottom?’ CJ asked with a grin. Andrew nodded. He squirmed his way up so he had his head on CJ’s pillow and without looking he pulled open the drawer on CJ’s nightstand so he could grab some lube and a condom. CJ freed him of the items and squirted some lube on his fingers. He slid his lubed finger along Andrew’s crease and when he found his target he looked at Andrew with a furrowed brow.

‘You’re already prepped?’

Andrew looked away. He was blushing so heavily it was spreading across his chest. He had never done anything like it before and had found it rather dirty to take care of himself like that. However, he had thought that CJ would appreciate it. Now he was starting to worry that he had been mistaken.

‘I’m sorry…’ he mumbled and refused to look at his boyfriend.

‘Don’t apologize,’ CJ said with a wide smile. He leaned in and kissed Andrew. ‘I love that you did that. Must’ve been weird for you. I know how you feel about touching yourself.’

‘It was…’ Andrew mumbled. CJ handed him the condom.

‘Want to do the honors?’

Andrew tore it open with his teeth and rolled it on CJ’s dick. This part of their love-making always had him nervous. CJ was _so_ big and no matter how many times they had sex Andrew was always worried he wouldn’t be stretched enough to take him without breaking. He wouldn’t have needed to worry. Even when he was aching to touch every inch of Andrew like he was right now, CJ was well aware that he was bigger than average and always went slow. He lifted Andrew’s left leg up and placed it on his own shoulder, for easier access, then he gently pushed in. Andrew let out something between a whimper, a moan and a hiss. He felt himself stretch almost to breaking point, then the feeling of being full when CJ bottomed out. CJ let out a shaky breath and stroke the line of Andrew’s hair on his forehead with his finger.

‘You okay there? You felt kind of tight.’

Andrew nodded.

‘I… yeah. It’s okay. You can move. Please move.’

CJ grinned but his grin was replaced with a moan as he pulled out and Andrew’s muscles flexed around him.

‘Fuck Andy,’ he breathed. Andrew dug his fingers into the mattress.

‘Can you… hold out?’

CJ pushed in again and pulled out. He made a face.

‘Maybe a little while if we go slow.’

‘Come here,’ Andrew said and grabbed a handful of dreadlocks which he used as a rope to pull CJ’s face close. When he was only an inch from Andrew’s face Andrew kissed him. He bit CJ’s lower lip, then he sucked on it. CJ whimpered.

‘Don’t,’ Andrew whispered. He leaned in right next to CJ’s ear and continued: ‘Go fast.’

‘Fuck!’ CJ called out as he pulled out and pushed in, harder this time. Andrew could feel him starting to pulse inside him as CJ picked up his pace. They didn’t say anything more for the next minute while CJ slid in and out before he came hard. CJ called out Andrew’s name as he orgasmed. It was all Andrew needed to follow him over the edge, that, and the feeling of CJ pulsing inside him. He came too, all over his own belly and CJ’s.

 

\-------------------------

 

‘Can I ask you something?’ Andrew said when they had started dozing off after their orgasm.

‘Sure,’ CJ mumbled into the back of his head.

‘You keep saying you don’t care that I’m chubby, right?’

‘Yeah?’ CJ nuzzled his face in the soft flesh on Andrew’s neck. He was spooning him from behind. They were both still naked, but now nestled under the cover. CJ was holding Andrew around the waist and one of his long legs were slung over Andrew’s hip.

‘Don’t people tease you?’

CJ snorted.

‘About what? You?’ When Andrew nodded, CJ asked: ‘Why on earth would they?’

‘Well, because…’ Andrew gestured towards his mid-section. CJ used his free hand to pinch Andrew in the butt.

‘Cee!’ Andrew yelped. ‘Why on earth did you do that?’

‘Because you’re being stupid again,’ CJ said. He smacked Andrew on the butt this time, then he dug his fingers into the soft flesh. It caused Andrew to moan wantonly.

‘Cee, you’re making me horny,’ he whined.

‘ _You’re_ making _me_ horny, making sounds like that.’ CJ smirked at him. ‘Well, if you want to I can eat you?’

‘I want to sleep,’ Andrew mumbled.

‘Then stop being stupid or I’ll spank you again. How many times do I have to tell you I think you’re hot as hell and I don’t care what anyone else might say or what _you_ might think for that matter. I love you, can’t you just understand that?’

‘I get _that_ , what I don’t understand is why? Okay, you wanted me to let you in, or whatever. I’m terrified that one day you’re going to realize what an actual impeccable specimen of the male species you are. It’s like you’re sculpted from stone or something. And I’m… clay. There, I said it. And it only gets worse every year. It’s obvious I’ve gained weight since we started dating. Why haven’t you dumped me yet?’

CJ started laughing. Andrew patiently (but a little sourly) waited for him to finish. In the meantime Andrew shifted so they were facing each other. Finally, CJ said:

‘Oh honey, you weren’t exactly skinny when we started dating.’

‘I _know_ that. Your point being?’

‘My point is to stop obsessing about it. If I didn’t like chubby boys I wouldn’t have asked one out.’

‘You… actually like this?’ Andrew pinched himself in one of his love-handles. CJ nodded. He slid his hand backwards from Andrew’s hip to his butt.

‘You’re beautiful and sexy and… I just love you. Everything about you. Please, can this be the last time we have this discussion because it hurts when you think so lowly about yourself. I wish you could see yourself like _I_ see you, because then you wouldn’t be this self-conscious. I promise you that.’

‘Uh…’ Andrew blushed. He blushed with his entire face, his chest, collarbones and shoulders. So he wouldn’t have to face CJ when he was this embarrassed he turned around and allowed himself to once again be spooned from behind. CJ planted a kiss on his shoulder, then he slid his hand from Andrew’s butt, up over his hip and then it came to rest on his belly again. He squeezed it gently.

‘Did you want to sleep some before your class?’

‘Yeah,’ Andrew sighed.

‘I can set the alarm and I’ll go with you to campus later.’

‘You don’t have to do that.’

‘I know. But I have practice later and I need some time in the library. And anyways, I’m having lunch with Connor when your class is starting so…’

‘Oh… alright…’ Andrew mumbled. He was drifting further and further into the blissful darkness of sleep.

‘Sleep tight, honey,’ CJ whispered in his ear. It was the last thing Andrew heard before he fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy's parents come for their dreaded visit. The boys pull their number on them, and Mitchell has a nasty surprise.

Kendra Williams couldn’t believe her luck. When the pairing list for their semester’s major assignment was posted on the professor’s projector, there was her name next to his.

Mitchell Doe.

She spent most of her time in class staring at the back of his head. Most days he would be wearing a beanie but sometimes she was rewarded because he wasn’t. instead, on those days, his hair would be in a messy little bun.

She hadn’t talked to him. God no. that would be so embarrassing for her. These days, you didn’t just strike up a conversation with anyone. You became online friends first, texted for a while before starting to hang out. Now, though, maybe.

The professor called out the pairings so that the students who didn’t know each other would get a chance at seeing their partner. When Mitchell’s name was being called out, he turned around in his seat and gestured for himself. She didn’t need the introduction, though, but he didn’t know that.

She got up from her seat and descended the stairs to stand next to him. He extended his hand towards her and smiled. Kendra almost fainted at that wide smile being directed towards her.

‘Mitchell. I suppose we’re to be partners in this, huh?’

‘Kendra. Yeah, I guess.’

He indicated the empty seat next to him.

‘Sit down. If you don’t want to go start this someplace else?’

‘Nah, here’s good.’

She sat down and flipped open her textbook. The beautiful boy next to her did the same. He absentmindedly scratched the corner of his eye while he skimmed through the pages.

‘Any ideas that stand out?’ he asked her.

‘Well… how about Shakespeare?’

‘How about Shakespeare?’

‘It’d be the easy pick, right? Either one of his plays are packed full of daddy issues, mommy issues and repressed homosexuality.’

‘You have anything against homosexuality?’ Mitchell asked.

‘No! God no. I mean, I’m straight, but I don’t judge people if they’re not. I’m just saying, neither did Shakespeare. If you want an English author to analyze, he’d be your easiest pick.’

‘Let’s go with Shakespeare, then,’ Mitchell said and sniffled. He fished out a tissue from his jeans to blow his nose.

‘The fuck…?’ he muttered. 

‘Something wrong?’ she asked, eyeing him with interest.

‘I think…’ he sneezed into the tissue. ‘I think my allergies are acting up. Nothing to worry about.’

‘Okay…’ Kendra went back to googling Shakespeare. Mitchell sneezed again. She felt sorry for him. Weird, too, that he was allergic in the fall. Unless… ‘Just out of curiosity, what _are_ you allergic to?’

‘Well,’ Mithell said and sniffled, ‘pretty much any plant that gives off pollen, dust, peanuts, I carry at least three EpiPens at any given time… Oh, and furry animals.’

‘Like, cats?’

‘Cats, dogs and bunnies are the worst. Horses are pretty difficult too. But yeah, just fur in general makes me sneeze.’

Kendra’s heart fell.

‘And if a person have animals at home… Would you react to that?’

‘Yeah, of course, it gets in your hair, your cloth… Oh.’

‘I’m sorry. I’m going to move.’

Mitchell sneezed twice into his tissue, then he grabbed her by the arm.

‘Give me your number.’

‘Why?’

‘Because we still need to do this project, and even if you…’ he was cut off because he had to sneeze again, then he blew his nose and continued: ‘…if we can’t sit next to each other, we can text or talk to get this done.’

‘Sure, yeah.’

Kendra wrote down her number and even though today had been less than ideal with how allergic he was to her mother’s cats, at least now he knew she existed, and she could work with that. Also, she had no problem with him sneezing a little every now and then, either. Maybe he just needed to adjust his medication and then they could start hanging out properly.

 

\-------------------------

 

Andrew was waiting on the sidewalk when his parents pulled up in their cab. He had offered to come meet them at the airport but they had declined. He was nervously twisting the bracelet he usually wore on his left arm and did his best to straighten his posture. When his mother got out of the cab his heart was racing but he grounded himself by thinking of CJ who was just a text away, even if he couldn’t physically be there. Andrew gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and shook his father’s hand.

‘Mom. Dad,’ he said.

‘Andrew, honey, how good to see you,’ his mom said. His dad gestured towards their luggage. Andrew took it and showed them the way up the stairs.

‘You guys can take my bed, I put in clean sheets this morning. I’ll sleep in my roommate’s room for your stay. She’s away for the weekend.’

‘You share an apartment with a girl?’ his mother asked. ‘Is that really appropriate?’

Andrew turned his head away and winced. He couldn’t explain to them that it was because they were both gay, so he said:

‘You raised me to be a gentleman, mother. I would never make a pass at her and I really need the money. I can’t afford this place on my own while I’m studying.’

‘Of course you don’t,’ she said dismissively.

Andrew placed the bags in his room and when he came out into the living room again his parents had made themselves comfortable on the couch. He sat down in the armchair and anxiously waited for either one of them to say something. Finally, his dad said:

‘So do you have anything special planned for us this weekend?’

‘Yeah!’ Andrew inwardly cringed at how excited he sounded. ‘Tomorrow a friend of mine is playing a soccer game and I thought you might want to go check it out?’

‘You’ve developed an interest in sports?’

‘Yeah, I mean… everyone here is interested so I thought I’d give it a chance. It was kind of fun to watch.’

‘Too bad you didn’t realize that when you were younger because then you might be a professional by now,’ his dad grumbled, then he added: ‘and not a fat looser.’

Andrew swallowed the tears and nodded. His mom said:

‘Have you gained more weight recently?’

_Recently_ , as if they had seen each other at all during the last year. He hadn’t even been home for Christmas since he moved to New York. This was just ridiculous.

‘A little,’ he mumbled. ‘I’m trying my best to lose it again, though.’

‘Well I’m sure you’ll manage eventually,’ she said and smiled. ‘So, shall we go out to dinner?’

Andrew had originally planned to cook for them but then he had remembered that they didn’t like men who cooked so he had resigned himself to a weekend of take out. He nodded and went to get their coats.

This was gonna be a long weekend.

 

\-------------------------

 

**I’m already regretting this decision.**

 

_I know, hun, but hang in there, okay? I love you._

 

**I love you.**

 

_So what’s happening?_

 

**They’ve been here all of an hour and dad has already called me a fat looser. Mom is just plain patronizing. However, we will go see your game tomorrow, so at least there’s that.**

 

_You are? Thank you!_

 

Andrew smiled to himself.

 

**Yeah. Look, I have to go. I’m texting you in the bathroom. They’re going to get suspicious soon.**

 

_I understand. I’ll see you tomorrow, even if I can’t say hi. Remember I’m on your team._

 

**Thank you. Again, I love you.**

 

_:-*_

\----------------------------

 

 ‘Get that fat ass of yours out here or we’ll be late!’

Andrew took one last look in the mirror and sighed before opening the bathroom door and exiting. He had tried to look effortlessly good, because he didn’t want his parents to think that he was trying to impress someone at the game, since, you know, no homo, but he didn’t look as naturally good as CJ did.

His mother was already outside on the curb hailing a taxi and his father was standing halfway out the door almost stepping because he so, so wanted to go to this game. He so, so wanted to think that his son was actually interested in the game for the sake of the game, and not because for some reason unbeknownst to Andrew, he was dating one of their star players.

They took their seats, and when the team entered, he leaned in:

‘Which one of them is your friend?’

‘The one with the curly hair.’

Connor spotted them and waved. Andrew waved back.

‘He looks like a nice boy,’ Andrew’s mother commented. Andrew selected to not mention his dyslexia, ADHD and the fact that he was dating a boy. Neither of those things would earn him the nick name _a nice boy_ in her eyes.

‘Yeah, he’s cool,’ was his only answer.

‘How did you meet him?’ she asked.

‘I’m tutoring him.’

‘Does he need tutoring?’

Andrew cursed himself for being that stupid. Then he thought of the perfect comeback. Spending all that time with Mitchell and his witty mouth seemed to be rubbing off on him.

‘Not really, no. However, it’s compulsory for the team members. They spend so much time training that they need all the help they can get. I make good money off of it, too. The coach pays me.’

‘Good job, son.’

‘Oh honey, you haven’t told me that.’

Andrew shrugged.

‘I didn’t think it was a big deal.’

He was saved by the referee blowing the whistle. The game was on. Connor scored twice, Mitchell once and CJ once, too. That wasn’t an every game occurrence, so Andrew was happy for him. The man was a giant and his head-game was stronger than mosts.

After the game, Connor came out to greet Andrew’s parents, as per their agreement. He fist-bumped Andrew, which to Andrew seemed a little abundant, and then took them both by the hand.

‘How very nice to finally meet you,’ he smiled.

‘And you. It’s nice to finally meet one of Andrew’s friends. He doesn’t introduce to any of them.’

Connor glanced at Andrew who did his best to not want to sink through the ground. Or at least to not look like he wanted to.

‘You played a good game, son,’ his father commented. ‘That midfielder of yours seemed to really know what he’s doing, even if he did look like a faggot.’

Andrew’s eyes widened at hos his father could so offhandedly comment on something like that.

‘Dad!’

‘Oh, what’s the big deal. Connor here knows what I’m talking about, don’t you?’

Connor gritted his teeth and just smiled. Mitchell was maybe rubbing off on him, too. Andrew fished out his phone and sent Mitchell a quick text so he knew what was coming later, because there was no way Connor would walk away from Andrew’s parents unharmed. Andrew knew by now how Connor functioned so he was so sure there would be some kind of backlash. Mitchell sent him back a thumbs up, meaning he had it covered. Andrew breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Dad, uhm, we should go. Our reservation for dinner…’ Andrew reminded him.

‘Oh, right. Again, nice to see you, son,’ he said to Connor who just stared at him and nodded.

Mitchell and CJ waited a couple of minutes to allow Andrew to steer his parents out of the stadium before they approached Connor. He was staring at the point where they had left. Mitchell slowly put his hand on Connor’s shoulder. When Connor didn’t acknowledge him, he stepped around so he was standing in front of him. He searched Connor’s face for any sign of recognition, but nothing.

‘He’s spaced out.’

‘Need help?’ CJ asked. ‘I feel like it’s kind of my fault.’

Mitchell nodded, so together they dragged Connor towards the locker room, got him showered, and then CJ drove them to their dorm. Mitchell put him to bed, but he stayed up for a little while to make sure Connor actually fell asleep and wasn’t just lying there with his eyes open. Once he was confident that his boyfriend was out for the night, Mitchell, too, collapsed. Before he fell asleep, he sent Andrew a text.

 

_Don’t worry. We’re in bed now. Focus on surviving._

He got an answer just before his eyes fell shut.

**Thank you.**

 

\-------------------------------

 

Andrew crashed when his parents finally left. He waved them off once they had gotten into their cab and was going to the airport and when the car turned a corner and disappeared from view he sat down on the curb. That’s how CJ found him an hour later when he came around to finally spend some quality time with his boyfriend who he hadn’t gotten to see for days. CJ didn’t comment when he found his boyfriend spaced out on the curb, he simply scooped him up and carried him indoors. He opened the door and discarded Andrew on the couch. Andrew didn’t move so CJ went into the kitchen and made them some tea.

When he returned to the couch Andrew was still sitting there, staring into nothing. CJ wondered if he even realized that he wasn’t on the street anymore. He placed the teacups on the coffee table and turned the TV on. After fifteen minutes Andrew still hadn’t moved from where CJ had placed him and he started to get worried. His own tea was out so he put his empty cup and Andrew’s full one in the dishes and returned to the couch. CJ grabbed Andrew’s hand and pulled him to his feet, then he led him to his bedroom. Even if he wasn’t responsive, Andrew still followed him which CJ assumed was a good thing. He took off Andrew’s clothes once they were in the bedroom and left him in a t-shirt and boxers. CJ then undressed himself and gently pressed Andrew down on the bed. He tangled their limbs together, then he realized that Andrew probably had no idea what he was supposed to do.

‘Sleep. It’s okay, I’m here now. I’ve got you,’ CJ whispered in his ear. Andrew immediately closed his eyes and relaxed. Within thirty seconds he was snoring gently. CJ placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before he fell asleep too.

Andrew was still asleep when CJ woke up the next morning. He had slept for ten hours, which was probably some kind of record. Andrew didn’t show any signs of waking up. CJ let him sleep for three more hours, then he woke him up to use the bathroom and get some toast and tea. Once he had eaten Andrew fell asleep again. He slept for five hours straight while CJ hung out in the living room, studying.

Around lunchtime Andrew came padding out, wrapped up in his cover. He crawled into CJ’s lap on the couch.

‘Morning, honey,’ CJ said absentmindedly. ‘Feeling better now?’

‘I’m tired. How can I be so tired?’

‘Because you’ve been under a lot of stress this weekend, and the weeks leading up to it. It’s only natural that you need to sleep now.’

‘I guess,’ he mumbled. ‘Why are you still here?’

‘Didn’t want to leave you alone when you weren’t feeling well. I have no important classes today and I can study just as well here as in my dorm. Actually better here since you’ve been sleeping and there’s no roommate.’

‘Good point,’ Andrew yawned.

‘So how did everything go?’ CJ asked.

‘Alright I guess. They took a few stabs at my weight, but that was expected. Mom said something about how I would never find myself a pretty girl to marry if I kept gaining weight like I have but I just answered with “yes, mom” so I think she believed I agreed with her. Otherwise it was okay. Sure, I’ve been on edge the entire weekend but there wasn’t a lot of harsh words this time.’

‘Maybe they’re coming around to your way of life?’ CJ said.

‘I wouldn’t go _that_ far,’ Andrew sighed. ‘But if they can focus on calling me fat instead of calling me a dirty faggot then I’m all for it.’

‘Oh honey,’ CJ said and nuzzled his face in the soft flesh in the crook of Andrew’s neck. At that moment the door to the apartment open and Kat walked in. She slung herself in the empty chair next to the sofa and her backpack on the floor.

‘Sup guys?’ she said.

‘Good to see you,’ CJ smiled.

‘Same.’ She leaned around CJ to look at Andrew. ‘You okay there, A?’

‘Kind of. I’ve slept for the whole night and the entire day, so… but I feel like I’m slowly bouncing back.’

‘Good. Hate to see you down.’ She offered him a fist bump that he accepted, then she said:

‘God! Never throw me out for an entire weekend ever again, A. I’ve been spending it with my girlfriend, and let me tell you, the girl has stamina. I’m spent. This only proves that I can never move in with her because nothing would ever get done. I’ve been naked since Thursday. It’s Monday night. Imagine.’

‘I’d rather not,’ CJ mumbled. ‘That was too much information. You know what, you two sleepyheads stay here and catch up or whatever, I’m getting us Chinese.’

‘Thank you, honey,’ Andrew said and kissed him.

‘Can I get ice cream too?’ Kat asked.

‘Yes, you’re getting ice cream too. And soda,’ CJ said. He felt like a parent but he loved his weird, lesbian daughter. If she had been having sex constantly since Thursday, she needed to get some serious calories in her. ‘Put some sweats on and I’ll be back with dinner in a little while,’ CJ said to Andrew before he kissed him goodbye.

 

\--------------------------------

 

Mitchell woke up because his eye was itching. Like, really, seriously fucking itching. He dug his palm into it and rubbed it. Once he did that he sat up and looked around. Of course he couldn’t see fucking anything because he didn’t have his glasses on. Only problem was, once he put them on, only the right eye got better. Mitchell took his glasses off and rubbed his eye again. Then he tried the glasses once more. No such luck. Panic started creeping up on him. He shook Connor awake rather forcibly.

‘Con! CON!!’

Connor stirred.

‘What?’ when he saw the look on Mitchell’s face he frowned. ‘Baby doll what’s wrong?’

‘I can’t see.’

Connor sat up, very much awake now.

‘What do you mean you can’t…’

‘My left eye! Something’s wrong, Con. It itches! I can’t… It’s all blurry.’

‘Even with the glasses?’

Mitchell nodded. Connor hugged him to get him to calm down a little, the he took a closer look at his boyfriend’s eye.

‘You’re very irritated. Not even when you’ve had your worst allergies have your eye been this red. I think we should call your doctor.’

‘Yeah. Right. Good idea.’


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitchell gets the verdict on his Eye, Nico has surgery and things go from bad to worse for poor Mitchell. Can't he like, ever catch a fucking break?

‘And you’re saying it itches, too?’ his doctor asked. He was shining Mitchell in the eye with a tiny flashlight.

‘Yeah. I want to scratch it out.’

The doctor leaned back in his seat.

‘I’m sorry Mitchell, but I think the damage is irreparable. You’re allergic to your contacts, that isn’t a surprise for you. We’ve had this discussion before and I have warned you that something like this might happen eventually if you keep using them.’

‘But I _need_ them for soccer.’ Mitchell sounded seriously whiny, but he didn’t care. This shit was ruining his life right now. He was allowed to be a little fucking whiny.

‘Yes, I know,’ the doctor sighed. ‘You have blisters on your eye. I’m not sure how they’ve appeared, but I can tell you that even when they heal… the damage can’t be undone.’

‘So what are you saying?’ Connor asked. ‘He’s blind for life?’

‘I’m afraid so.’

‘Fuck…’ Mitchell sunk down in his chair. He could hear Connor talking to the doctor but he didn’t register their words. He didn’t even react when Connor shook him mildly to get him to move. Connor simply grabbed him by the arm and led him to the car.

When they got home, Mitchell was still spaced out. Connor thought it was a little eerie watching him blindly (no pun intended) follow Connor as he led him to their dorm, inside, and then undressed him. Connor wondered if this was what it was like for Mitchell when Connor spaced out. He needed to ask him later.

Connor had been given an ointment by the doctor that he now put on Mitchell’s bad eye, then he put an eye patch on him. He had been given instructions for Mitchell to clean his eye and put on the ointment morning and night, and to wear the eye patch for three weeks until his eye could be considered healed enough. Then he had gotten another appointment to check up on it after the three weeks had passed. All that Connor could manage, what worried him was if Mitchell didn’t space back in any time soon, because then he would have to figure out how to take care of him. Now he wished he had asked Mitchell how he managed Connor earlier.

 

\-----------------------------

 

When evening rolled around Mitchell had been sitting without saying anything for hours and Connor was starting to get seriously worried about his boyfriend. He made them some ramen for dinner but Mitchell didn’t even seem to register when he got the food in front of him.

‘What the hell am I supposed to do?’ Connor thought. He ended up calling Piper for moral support.

‘Slap him,’ she said.

‘What? I can’t do that!’

‘I can come over and do it for you, but if he’s behaving like you say, he’s only done that a few times before and the only thing that I’ve found to be working is to slap him.’

‘When did he do this before?’

‘Uh… when he realized he was gay, that was kind of a revelation for him, but I can’t imagine why because it’s not like anyone has ever considered that he might be straight. Except for Mitchell himself, obviously. Also when he got the anxiety diagnosed. That was hard on him.’

‘I can imagine. So slap him, huh?’

‘Yeah. I warn you though, he’s not gonna like it and he’s probably gonna go off on you for it, but if you want him conscious that’s your best bet. And you can’t keep him like that forever.’

‘No, it’s starting to get seriously creepy. Alright, thank you Piper. I owe you one.’

‘Imma collect it too, you know,’ she said and laughed.

Connor terminated the call and looked at Mitchell for a while before he put the ramen on the desk and then crouched in front of Mitchell. He hated having to do this but if it was the only way…

He slapped him hard.

Mitchell blinked, then the eye that wasn’t covered by the eyepatch focused on his boyfriend’s face and Connor could see the anger boil over in it.

‘What the fuck are you doing!? Are you some kind of fucking idiot? Who the fucking hell slaps…’ Mitchell trailed off and looked around. ‘Why aren’t we at the doctor’s office?’

‘Because your appointment ended five hours ago. I took you home and now I started getting worried because you haven’t been contactable since we left. Piper told me to slap you.’

Mitchell’s impression softened.

‘She did, huh?’

‘Yup. How are you?’

‘I’m…’ Mitchell’s eyes trailed off of Connor’s face and he started crying. ‘I’m blind, Con. Irreparably, he said.’

Connor pulled Mitchell into a hug and felt him shake slightly against his chest.

‘I love you, baby doll, we’ll figure this out.’

‘…yeah… right.’

‘Look, I know you’re feeling really shitty right now and I’m not gonna tell you that it’s going to be okay because the doctor said it isn’t, but I can say that we’ll tackle this together.’

‘Thank you,’ Mitchell whispered.

 

\---------------------

 

_I’m sorry to spring this at you in the last minute like this, but I’m not going to class for a while._

 

**Why? Did something happen.**

 

_Yeah. Uhm… You know how I play soccer, right? And I wear glasses to school but I can’t do that when I play so I wear contacts instead, but I’m allergic to them, too._

 

**Is there anything you’re not allergic to?** **😉**

 

_Not to my knowledge. Anyhow, I’m blind on one eye because of that. I came back from the doctor yesterday and I can’t… I can’t face school just yet. I’m sorry._

 

**You’re blind?**

 

_On one eye. I have to wear an eyepatch for a while, but I need to take a couple days off to get used to the idea of… this._

 

**I understand. God, I feel so sorry for you. Do you need help with anything?**

 

_No, my boyfriend has been great, but thank you._

**Your boyfriend? You have a boyfriend?**

 

_Uh… yeah. Haven’t I told you about him?_

**No. I was just surprised. You don’t look gay.**

 

_You’re probably the first person to say that. I’ll be back in a few days, okay? I’ve got to go, my eye hurts and I need to rest._

 

**Take care, alright?**

\-------------------------------

 

‘Can I talk to you?’

Mitchell glanced over at Coach Carl with his still seeing eye and nodded. He had been anxious about going to soccer practice that day and telling his Coach that he was blinded for life. There would be no more soccer.

No more soccer.

It wasn’t just that Mitchell couldn’t play soccer. Sure, that in itself was sad as fuck and he hated that more than anything right now.

But.

He was going to lose his scholarship if he couldn’t play. And how was he supposed to do that with only one “good” eye that he didn’t dare put a contact in for fear of going completely blind?

As Connor led the warm up Mitchell walked over to his Coach and sat down on the bench. Coach Carl sat down beside him.

‘So how is it?’ he said and indicated Mitchell’s eye patch.

‘Bad,’ Mitchell mumbled.

‘How bad?’

‘Irreversible.’ Mitchell didn’t look at Coach. _Couldn’t_ look at him. He was feeling nauseous. This was the first time he said that out loud. It made him want to vomit.

‘Can you see _anything_?’

‘It’s blurry,’ Mitchell said. ‘Like when I’m without my glasses, only when I put them on nothing changes. I’ll never dare put another contact in again. What if my other eye gets damaged?’

Carl nodded. He looked out across the field at the boys warming up, then he said:

‘So it’s safe to say that your soccer playing days are over?’

Mitchell choked out a sob. Coach Carl looked over at him. The boy was desperately trying not to cry. Carl had always liked this particular boy more than the others, for some reason. Maybe because he was _so_ good at tactics or maybe because he always gave one hundred and ten percent even when he only had fifty to give because he was sickly. He didn’t know _why_ , but he knew he wanted to help Mitchell.

‘Is your scholarship at risk?’

‘…yeah…’

Coach Carl nodded. He had been afraid of that.

‘I want to make you a deal,’ he said.

Mitchell wiped the tears running from his good eye. The eye patch was soaking up the ones from his bad eye. At least it’s good for something, Mitchell thought bitterly.

‘Yeah? What?’ he asked. He couldn’t think of anything that would save him now.

‘I want to make you assisting coach. I’ve been doing some research, and it’s… a loophole in your scholarship. You have to be on the team, but you don’t have to _actively_ play. I could use an assistant. Help me with tactics, it’s one of the things that you’re absolutely best at. Help me interpret that weird boyfriend of yours.’ Coach Carl smiled and nodded towards Connor who had rounded a lap and was now chasing on the younger boys from behind, clapping his hands and urging them on. They were looking terrified. Mitchell actually chuckled. He hadn’t done that in days. As captain, CJ was barking at him to stop scaring the younglings but Connor actively ignored him.

‘Look. You have this year and two more. I can keep you on as long as you help me. It’s the least I can do. Our season with you and Connor together was the best one yet, even when you couldn’t play all the games. I think he’ll be lost without you. This way you can help train your replacement to be just as good with Connor on that field as you were.’

Mitchell thought about it for about 1.3 seconds before he said:

‘Yes.’

‘You’ll do it?’

‘Fuck yeah I’ll do it. If it means I can stay on the team… there’s nothing I want more, honestly.’

‘Good. Thank you.’

‘No. _Thank you_. You saved my life, coach.’

Carl looked over at the frail boy. He had figured as much. CJ had told him that Connor had told him that Mitchell had lost his spark when he lost his eye. The poor boy had been through so much in his short life and this had been the one thing that had been _too_ much. The one thing he hadn’t managed to bounce back from. He had apparently been in a very dark place and Connor was legitimately worried about him. Now he seemed at ease again. Maybe not good, but at least _better_.

Connor looked over to where Mitchell and their Coach were sitting on the bench talking. Mitchell was… actually smiling. It was the first time since he had gotten his verdict from the doctor. That his eye couldn’t be saved.

‘What are they talking about?’ he asked CJ. The taller boy looked over at his dad and Mitchell and shrugged.

‘I guess dad’s offering him a position as assistant coach.’

‘He’s WHAT?’ Connor exclaimed.

‘Yeah,’ CJ smiled. ‘Look, I told him what you told me. That Mitchell had lost his spark and that he was afraid to lose his scholarship so dad did some research and found a loophole in Mitchell’s scholarship. If he’s made assistant coach, he can stay on the team and keep his scholarship. He doesn’t have to be _actively playing_ to keep it.’

‘Are you kidding me right now?’

‘Nope.’

‘I love your dad.’

‘Don’t ever tell him that,’ CJ laughed.

 

\------------------------------

 

Will wiped his one sweaty palm on his jeans. The other one was holding the ridiculously large bouquet of red roses that he had bought for his boyfriend on his way over. There were steps heard from the other side of the door, and soon enough a butler opened it.

Who the heck even has a butler?

‘Ah, you must be mister Solace. Do come in. you’re expected.’

Will objectively knew that Nico’s family was rich, but not this rich. Not a huge house in the suburbs with five cars in front of it and a butler kind of rich. Not for the first time Will thought that Nico was seriously out of his league.

He was lead upstairs and in front of white double doors. The butler knocked and Nico’s voice was heard from inside.

‘Come in!’

The butler opened the door and let Will inside. He stood just inside the closed doors and stared at the space. It was almost as big as Jason and Piper’s entire apartment.

‘Hi,’ Nico said and smiled weakly.

Will snapped out of it and walked up to the bed where Nico was lying. He sat down on the side of it and at first he handed Nico the roses but then he took them back and placed them on the nightstand for him when he realized Nico couldn’t put them there himself. He leaned in and kissed his boyfriend on the cheek.

‘How are you feeling?’

‘Sore,’ Nico chuckled. ‘But it’s alright. I knew it would be like that.’

‘Have you ever had any surgery before? Was it scary?’

‘It was a little scary going under anesthetics but everything happened so fast that I don’t really remember much. Afterwards, when I woke up, I puked a lot but that’s alright. It’s stopped, now.’

‘Good. I was worried.’

‘That’s because you study medicine.’

‘It is because I study medicine.’

‘Somehow, being a doctor makes me think you’ll be a terrified parent someday. The kind that brings their kid to the ER with a cold because you know every single illness that it could be instead.’

Will blushed but he smiled.

‘Oh I know I will. So,’ he said and looked around the room. ‘no more binders, huh?’

‘Nope. Thank god,’ Nico said and smiled. ‘That makes everything worth it, you know? The surgery, I mean. Going through with it and the pain afterwards so I’ll never have to wear a binder again.’

Will leaned in and kissed him again.

‘Well, I am happy for you.’

There was a short knock on the door before the butler entered again.

‘I was wondering whether mister Solace would want some dinner? It’s ready in half an hour.’

 

\------------------------------

 

Mitchell was studying when there was a knock on the door. Connor had left for class about twenty minutes ago so it couldn’t be him. He put down his books and went to open it. His stomach dropped when he saw who was standing outside in the hallway.

‘Hello, Mitchell,’ Ken said and smiled.

Mitchell couldn’t get a word out. He simply stood there and stared. Ken walked into the room, held up a bag of peanuts and said:

‘Now, you’re going to do exactly what I tell you to or I open this. This is so fucking convenient, I don’t even _need_ to get a gun.’

Mitchell swallowed dryly and nodded. Ken had obviously done his homework this time around.

‘W-what do you want f-from me?’

‘Same thing I always wanted,’ Ken said. ‘For you to be a proper man.’ He gestured to Mitchell in his pink sweats and hufflepuff t-shirt.

‘Uh-huh,’ Mitchell hummed.

‘So,’ Ken continued, ‘since our last outing was a bit of a disappointment I thought I’d give you enough time to pack your essentials this time.’

‘My… essentials?’

‘Your medicines. Whatever you need to function like a human being.’

‘My… oh! Okay.’

Mitchell started towards the bathroom but Ken stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

‘Your phone.’

‘Sorry,’ Mitchell mumbled, because he didn’t know what else to say. He fished up his phone from his pocket and headed to the bathroom. He started numbly packing up his meds when he got an idea. Mitchell glanced towards the door but Ken seemed to linger in the bedroom. He blew his hot breath on the mirror and wrote “Help – Ken!” in it. His heart was hammering in his chest because he was nervous that Ken would walk in before the writing had faded. When it had done so Mitchell headed out to the bedroom.

‘Took you long enough,’ Ken grumbled.

‘Lots of meds to pack,’ Mitchell shrugged. He held up his giant medicine bag to prove his point. ‘You can count yourself lucky that I’ve already taken my antihistamine shot for the season so you have the very best prerequisites.’ Ken rolled his eyes. He sat down on the bed and his eyes fell on the tube on the nightstand which said “Toy Boy anal lube”. He picked it up and said:

‘What is the meaning of this?’

Mitchell was at this point less anxious and more pissed off, so he crossed his arms over his chest and said:

‘What do _you_ think?’

‘Is this gay lube?’

Mitchell’s only response was to nod.

‘You’re a fucking faggot as well?’

Mitchell thought Ken should have understood that after Connor’s testimony in court last year but apparently not.

‘If that’s the word you want to use.’

Ken’s eyes widened and it made Mitchell feel like he had gotten a small victory.

‘Which one of you is the girl?’

‘The what now?’

‘The girl. Who does the… receiving?’

Ken frowned at him. Mitchell decided to make him as uncomfortable as humanly possible. His so-called birthfather didn’t deserve anything else.

‘You mean which one of us takes it in the ass?’

Ken narrowed his eyes at Mitchell, daring him to say it. Mitchell showed him no mercy what so ever as he said:

‘I do.’

‘ _You_ do?’

‘Yeah. I do. Every fucking time. I love it when my boyfriend sticks his big, hard dick insi…’

Mitchell fell to the floor with a burning sensation in his face where Ken had smacked him. As he lay there he could taste blood.

‘Shut up! Shut up you disgusting fucking faggot!’

Mitchell smiled evilly up at Ken’s flushed face.

‘This isn’t going to be as easy as last time,’ he said. Ken didn’t answer. All he said was:

‘Get up, faggot.’

Mitchell did as he was told. He had nothing to gain by being _too_ difficult.

‘Are you going to beat that out of me, too?’ He wanted to know.

‘I’ll do my very best,’ Ken growled.

Oh, the joy, Mitchell thought. He shouldered his backpack with his essentials and they left the dorm.

As they walked across campus Mitchell kept looking around for someone, _anyone_ , he might know but he didn’t see anyone. Just his luck. Ken steered him to one of the parking lots. As they climbed in Mitchell heard his name being called. He looked towards the sound.

‘Ignore it,’ Ken warned.

Mitchell noticed Kendra come walking, waving at him.

‘I’m doing a project with her for class. She’ll think it’ll be weird if I go away now. I have to make up some sort of lie to her.’

Ken seemed to ponder this for a moment before he said reluctantly:

‘Make it quick.’

‘Promise.’

Kendra stopped at a respectful distance so she wouldn’t make him sick again.

‘Are you going somewhere?’

‘Uh. Yeah. Family emergency. I can’t get ahold of Con, if you see him can you tell him I went with my dad?’

She nodded.

‘Sure thing, Mitch.’

‘Thanks. It’ll only be for a couple of days, then I’ll be back.’

‘It’s fine. We have plenty of time.’

‘…yeah. Look, I gotta go now. See you later.’

‘Yeah.’

Ken drove off as fast as he possibly could as soon as Mitchell had seated himself in the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. Yes, I went there.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitchell continues to give Ken the most verbal resistance he can. Connor is truggling like heck to cope with his boyfriend going missing and Travis shows up to give his brother some support.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I've updated the chapter number to eight now. This is going to be shorter than vol 1 and 2 but it will end great, I promise you.

‘Sweetie, I got another B+ on my…’ Connor silenced when he realized that Mitchell wasn’t in their room. He got kind of put off because he had said that he wouldn’t go anywhere for hours since he wasn’t feeling well. Something about an oncoming sore throat. There wasn’t even a note and Mitchell always left notes because he knew since the Ken incident that Connor got anxious if he disappeared.

So where was he?

Connor picked up his phone and called him. The phone was switched off. That was weird. Mitchell never switched his phone off in case he needed to call emergency services because something had made him really sick. Connor swallowed and tried not to panic. He was getting increasingly sure that Mitchell had finally gotten sick of his attention deficit disordered ass and left.

His meds! If those were still here… but they weren’t. This was when Connor really started to panic. Mitchell had left and taken his meds with him. He looked through Mitchell’s clothes. There were items missing there, too.

A cold lump situated itself in Connor’s throat. He sank to the floor in the mess of clothes and started crying.

He had no idea how long he had been in that position when there was a knock on the door. Slowly he got up and went to open it. Without really knowing that he did. He didn’t even recognize CJ when he opened.

‘Hey, Con, why aren’t you guys at…’ he faltered when he saw the state Connor was in. Connor in turn just stared at him and blinked. CJ peered over his shoulder and took in the mess in the room. He gently took Connor by the elbow and steered him towards the bed where he sat him down.

‘Stay,’ he said. Connor didn’t look like he was mobile anyway, so CJ went into the common room kitchen and made them both coffees. Connor drank only when CJ told him to but he looked like he was slowly coming to life.

‘Wanna tell me what’s been going on here?’ CJ asked carefully.

Connor looked around at the mess as if he saw it for the first time.

‘Mitchell left.’

Saying it out loud made him sob. CJ couldn’t believe that.

‘Mitchell left you?’

‘I guess…’ Connor gave a weak shrug. ‘Clothes are missing, his meds… the phone is turned off.’

CJ looked around. If he knew Mitchell as well as he’d like to think he wouldn’t believe he would leave neither Connor nor his schoolwork behind. Something wasn’t right.

‘What are you doing here anyway? Did I miss practice?’

‘Yeah. Two days straight. Have you been sitting on the floor all this time?’

‘Obviously.’

Connor started sobbing again. CJ pulled him into a hug and patted his curls.

‘You don’t remember him telling you about a trip?’

‘No.’

‘Alright. You haven’t eaten for at least a day and a half. I’m going out for dinner. Stay here. I’ll be back with food.’

Connor nodded, so CJ left. When he came back, Connor, for some reason, had a bottle of whisky in his hand. It was obvious he had been drinking. CJ dropped the things he was carrying on the desk and handed Connor a burger.

‘If you’re going to be drinking, you need food.’

Connor did as he was told and actually ate the whole meal.

‘Gimme your phone,’ CJ said. He went outside and started flipping through it. He tried calling Mitchell but the phone was still off. Alright. He found a number labeled “brother” and called that instead.

‘Hey little brother, what’s happening?’

‘My name is CJ, _are_ you Connor’s brother?’

Silence. After a few heartbeats:

‘…yeah. What’s happened?’

‘I’m not sure. Mitchell is gone and Connor is drinking. I’m on their team and they’ve missed two practices. Our coach sent me to get them. Apparently Connor hadn’t even realized a whole day had passed.

‘He wouldn’t, not if he’s in a bad enough state to drink. What _is_ he drinking?’

‘Whisky. He told me once he shouldn’t because it messes with his medication.’

‘Yeah. That’s… bad. Alright, I’m coming over. It’s a few hours’ drive but I should be there tomorrow morning. Can you hold out?’

‘Yeah, I’ll watch him.’

‘Good. I think most of Mitchell’s contacts are also in Connor’s phone so you could maybe call around and see if anyone knows anything?’

‘Good idea. He’s not really that talkative anyway.’

‘Figured as much,’ Travis said. ‘You can try to take the bottle from him if you want but if you’re not comfortable just let him have it. His meds for today are already ruined anyway, if he even took them.’

CJ nodded and said:

‘I’ll try. I’ll let you know.’

‘Cool. And… you should probs keep this phone.’

‘Yeah… Alright, I’ll start calling around.’

‘Good man. Thank you for calling me. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.’

‘Same.’

Travis terminated the call and CJ went back into the room. Connor had gone back to sipping his whisky and staring into the wall. He was clutching Mitchell’s t-shirt, the one he used to sleep in. It smelled like him. CJ sat down on the bed. Connor ignored him.

‘You okay?’

‘No. Idiot question.’

‘…yeah. I’m gonna make some calls, see if I can find your boy, okay?’

Connor shrugged and took a sip of whisky. CJ went back into the hallway. He called Jason, Piper and Will. He also tried calling two guys named Nico and Cecil, all names he’d heard either of them mention at some point, but they didn’t answer. Neither Piper, Will nor Jason knew where Mitchell was and they were instantly worried. They would all come over when Travis had arrived the next morning. Piper offered to come right away but CJ said it was fine. It was night anyway and Connor hadn’t slept in a day and a half so CJ figured he would be out like a light any minute now.

 

\---------------------------------

 

They arrived at what Mitchell assumed was their arranged living quarters. A small cottage in the woods of upstate New York.

Shit.

Fuck.

No one will ever find me here, he thought to himself. Ken killed the engine and turned to Mitchell.

‘If you try to run I will shoot you.’

‘Of course you will,’ Mitchell said dryly. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Ken. ‘Why don’t you throw a peanut at me while you’re at it?’

‘Is this how it’s going to be?’ Ken asked.

‘Yes,’ Mitchell said flatly.

Ken groaned. Mitchell opened the car door and got out. The first thing that hit him was the smell of earth and decomposing wood. Despite his allergies, Mitchell was an outdoorsy type who loved spending time in the woods. He liked the mossy little cabin but he already had the feeling he would get real sick in there.

‘What’s with the eye patch, anyway?’ Ken asked once he got out of the car.

‘Oh…’ Mitchell grazed his patch with the fingers on his left hand. ‘I… my contact lens ruined my eyesight. I have to wear this for a while until it heals properly.’

‘What happened?’

‘Not sure. I have to wear contacts when I play soccer but I woke up the next morning and my eyesight was dizzy. Even my doctor isn’t sure.’

‘Sucks.’

Mitchell nodded. Ken seemed to think that bonding time was over and gave Mitchell a shove towards the house.

The cabin had a tiny kitchen, a living room and a bedroom. Mitchell walked straight into the bedroom and dropped his bag on the bed. It looked new, like Ken had planned this thoroughly and brought it here, which Mitchell figured he probably had. The doors and windows had been fitted with locks and bolts. There was no escaping this time.

‘Do you need the bathroom?’ Ken asked.

‘No.’

‘Good,’ he said and shut the door. Mitchell heard him bolt all the locks and the he went to sit on the bed. That’s where he finally allowed himself to cry. He did, loudly sobbing, until he was out of tears, then he fell asleep out of sheer mental exhaustion.

 

\---------------------------------

 

Piper and Cecil showed up early the next morning. Cecil didn’t say anything when CJ opened the door, he simply walked in and hugged his cousin.

‘Hi, I’m Piper, that was Cecil,’ she told CJ.

‘Hi. I’m glad you’re here.’

‘How’s he doing?’

‘Bad.’

Cecil was unloading cookies from his backpack that Jason had baked the previous night. He handed one to Connor who nibbled on it. He seemed more at ease now that his cousin was here.

‘You look like shit,’ Cecil said.

‘I know.’

‘Pipes told me you’ve been drinking.’

‘I have.’

Cecil slapped him in the face. Piper flinched. She had never seen her boyfriend act like that and quite frankly she didn’t think he was capable of it.

‘Thanks, I needed that,’ Connor said.

Travis chose that moment to waltz in the door.

‘Bro!’

Connor managed a weak smile. Travis threw himself at his brother. They landed in a heap of tangled arms and legs on the floor, on Cecil’s feet. He frowned disapprovingly down at them.

‘You smell like whisky,’ Travis said. ‘Do I need to slap you?’

‘No, Cecil already took care of that,’ Connor said.

‘Good man,’ Travis said and tried to fist-bump Cecil who just stared at his fist, looking utterly confused. Travis rolled his eyes and turned back to Connor: ‘You need to shower though,’ he said and waved his hand in front of his nose. ‘Go in there, I’ll be there in a little while.’

Connor did as his brother said. It was a habit from when they were little kids. You obeyed your big brother. He had been in the shower for a while when Travis came in the bathroom to check on him.

‘Mind if I pee?’

‘Gross. I’m showering.’

‘Bro, I’ve been driving the whole night to get here. I’m peeing.’

‘Then why did you ask?’

‘I’ve got manners.’

He heard Travis unzip his jeans, pee, flush and then the sound of the tap running as Travis washed his hands.

‘Uhm… Con.’

‘Yeah?’

‘You haven’t showered since Mitchell left, have you?’

Connor sighed audibly.

‘No. I spaced out and didn’t realize that days had gone by.’

‘Yeah. No. I get that, but I think you need to come out.’

Connor rinsed the last shampoo from his curls, wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out. Travis was staring at the mirror.

‘If my dyslexia and sleep deprivation isn’t totally fooling me, _that’s_ a message from your boyfriend.’

Connor stared open-mouthed at the writing on the mirror. “Help – Ken!”

‘Well fuck,’ Connor said. Travis slapped the back of his head. ‘Sorry,’ Connor mumbled. Travis hugged him.

‘We should call dad.’

‘Yeah.’

‘And get you dressed.’

‘Yeah.’

Travis herded his brother out the door into the room. He actually managed to get sweats and a t-shirt on before he collapsed into a crying heap on the floor. Piper was instantly there, picking him up and holding him in her lap.

‘You guys need to see this,’ Travis said once Connor had calmed down a little.

Piper wanted to cry, kick, scream and hurt someone when she saw the writing on the mirror, but she realized she needed to be strong for Connor’s sake. He was quietly sobbing into her shoulder. He was so tall he had to bend over but he wasn’t in any shape to think about that. He was slipping back into the darkness of his mind. Pipers realized this so she grabbed his hand and stroke his knuckles.

‘You need to stay with us, Con, sweetie, for Mitchell’s sake. He needs your a-game.’

‘I… I can’t…’ he whispered.

‘Sure you can,’ she cooed. ‘You’re super strong, Con, you got this.’

Travis came back from speaking with Hermes on the phone.

‘An officer will be here shortly,’ he said. Connor nodded and dried his tears. He recognized he needed to try and pull himself together if the police was to take him seriously. Mitchell needed his a-game.

He could do this.

For Mitchell.

 

\-----------------------------

 

Mitchell woke up a couple days later by his door being bolted open. Ken stood outside and waved a sawed-off shotgun to get him to move. Mitchell got out of bed, but when he stood up his vision blacked out for a second. He had to hold himself against the wall to not fall over.

His prediction had been correct, it was almost as if he knew himself by now. Yesterday he had woken up with a sore throat and this morning was no better. He had taken a few aspirins but they didn’t do much to help him.

‘Come on, stop stalling. We’ve got wood to chop.’

‘Do you remember what happened the last time you made me chop wood?’ Mitchell asked when he had regained his composure a little.

Ken snorted.

‘You’re soft, boy. You need to toughen up, alright? Come on. You’ll get breakfast afterwards.’

‘Gee, thanks _dad_ ,’ Mitchell deadpanned. He straightened up and walked slowly to the hallway. A pair of rubber boots were waiting for him, and a coat. Ken motioned for him to put them on.

‘You’re actually equipping me this time?’ Mitchell asked.

‘Sure. Contrary to what you seem to believe, I don’t want you killed. I want you to get it.’

‘Enough to break yourself out of prison, _twice_ ,’ Mitchell deadpanned.

‘Yeah, well…’ Ken shrugged. ‘Now will you go already?’

Mitchell unlaced his sneakers in favor of putting on the boots. He grabbed the coat and went outside. There was an axe and a pile of wood waiting for him there.

‘You do realize I’m already getting sick, right?’ Mitchell asked because he thought it would be obvious from his hoarse voice.

‘You’ll be fine,’ Ken said breezily. ‘It’s just to ease you into this new regime. I wanted too much to quickly last time, I realize that now. You’re a pussy and a faggot because they’ve been too soft on you, but they have been for what, twenty years now? I can’t change that overnight.’

Mitchell didn’t answer, he simply grabbed the axe and hefted it. He had no chance of chopping wood like this, he knew he was much too weak. His arms weren’t strong. His legs were, from all the soccer he had been playing, but that was hardly going to help him with the task at hand. If only he would get a chance to run, you know, before Ken actually killed him with his misdirected fatherly love.

An hour into wood chopping and Ken called it quits. He ushered Mitchell back into his room, and fifteen minutes later he came with the afore-promised breakfast. Mitchell, being ever so cautious, took the pills that helped him digest dairy and ate.

 

\-----------------------------

 

Connor didn’t come to practice the following days. Of course he didn’t, but it felt weird not having either Connor nor Mitchell there. CJ felt lost. The team was restless and worried, and he did his best to keep them together. He secretly wished that Lee had still been there as captain, and that it wasn’t CJ himself having to try and hold shit together while one of his best friends were kidnapped and his other best friend was grieving his loss.

Andy was a rock, though. He had taken it upon him to watch as many of CJ’s practices as he could. CJ hadn’t lied to his father earlier that year when he’d said that seeing that orange mop of hair on the stands always made him pull himself together just a smidge more. CJ didn’t tell Andrew how much he appreciated his silent show of support but he figured Andrew knew, or he wouldn’t be there.

He texted Connor, just so the guy would know he had their support, before he left the locker room. Andy was waiting for him outside the stadium. He laced their fingers together and CJ could actually smile for once these days.

‘How are they holding up?’ Andrew asked, indicating the team.

‘Not well, but I guess we’re all doing our best. Thank you for coming tonight. I needed it.’

Andy looked down at his feet and mumbled.

‘No, I needed it.’

CJ tilted his head slightly, then he used his free hand to gently tilt Andrew’s head upward so they could look at each other.

‘Tell me how you feel?’

Andrew sighed.

‘I miss Mitchell.’

CJ smiled.

‘You haven’t been coming to the practices for my sake, have you?’

‘Yeah I have, but not just. I… He’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a best friend, Cee. I’m worried. It feels good to be here.’

CJ enveloped him in a hug.

‘Of course you are. I’m sorry, hun, I’ve been so focused on the team, I totally forgot you two are friends. Look, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that Mitchell will make it through this. He’s the fiercest boy we know, right?’

‘Right…’

‘Him not coming back isn’t an option.’

Andrew nodded against CJ’s chest. He didn’t seem totally convinced, but CJ figured he’d never be. Not until Mitchell was actually back again.

Back and safe.

 

\------------------------------

 

Mitchell had been up all-night coughing. For some reason his arsenal of medicines didn’t include cough syrup.

Go figure.

The cough and the sore throat felt like barbed wires. Ken, however, was relentless. They were hiking through the woods today, and Mitchell was struggling to breathe. He knew he was slipping into the worst cold of his life, from the torture Ken was putting him through and the cold and damp of the cabin.

I’m going to die here, he thought. Then he decided that no, he was _not_ going to die here. He had a life to get back to.

He had Connor to get back to.

The thought of Connor brought tears to his eyes. Mitchell missed his boyfriend so much it hurt. The thought of never seeing him again was more than he could handle. Mitchell swallowed, wiped the tears from his eyes, and trudged forward until he had to stop and hold himself up against a tree trunk because he felt like he would topple over.

He coughed so much he threw up.

That seemed to signal to Ken that they were about done with today’s make-a-man-out-of-Mitchell because he gestured for Mitchell to turn around back to the cabin. Mitchell barely made it to bed before he passed out.

The cough was slightly better when he woke up the next day, but Mitchell could for the life of him not breathe through his nose. He sat up in bed and put his clothes on. Or, whatever clothes he could find, really. He was still wearing the same one’s he had on him when he left campus but they were tattered and dirty by now.

He knocked on the door to signal to Ken that he was awake, but Ken didn’t answer.

‘Come on, I need to use the bathroom!’ he called out.

Nothing.

Mitchell frowned. That was odd. After a few minutes he tried again.

Still nothing.

Was he dead?

Mitchell decided this was it. Either he escaped now or he would die in here. He up-ended his medicine bag on his bed and rummaged around in there until he found what he was looking for. A thin scalpel and one of his syringes would have to do. He sent a silent thank you to his mother for teaching him to pick locks after that last time Ken took him away, and also that Ken had been neglectful enough to not go through Mitchell’s medicines.

A scalpel and a syringe weren’t perfect tools, but they would have to do. It took Mitchell nearly twenty minutes to get the lock on the window open. With one last look around the room he slipped out the open window, just in time to see Ken finally opening the door and entering his room. Mitchell froze with one leg outside the window and one on the floor of his room. Ken howled with rage, and that was enough to get Mitchell moving. Never mind that he couldn’t breathe, now he would run for his fucking life.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter! Mitchell is running for his Life but Ken is not only faster, he's not sick. And he's armed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a head's up, thereis a Death in this chapter. If that triggers you, beware. It's not Mitchell, though, so there's that.

Janet Anderson had seen a lot in her life. A LOT. She had been through some shit, I kid you not. But this? Nope, never. She was giving a customer his change back when a kid walked in her store.

No, not walked. Stumbled.

He was somewhere around nineteen, twenty something years old, she estimated, with long hair in a messy ponytail and wearing an eye patch like a deranged pirate. Only, you know, her store was in the middle of the forest so he would be seriously lost. The kid was also wearing pink ripped and muddy sweats and a grey hoodie. And also sneakers. He was holding onto a rack of candy, his breath wheezing.

‘Please… don’t let him… police…’ he managed to wheeze out, then he collapsed.

‘Call the police,’ Janet told her only employee, a twenty five year old guy who (for some odd reason) called himself Mesh, then she went up to the kid. He had managed to sit himself up now and was trying to get to his feet as well but he must’ve been dizzy because he didn’t manage. In the back of her mind she registered Mesh talking to the police. She ticked that off her mental list. Now to keep this kid alive.

‘You look sick. Do you need some water? The police are on their way.’

The kid was having a very hard time breathing and he looked like he had the worst cold ever.

‘…yeah,’ he managed.

Mesh was at her side now so together they manhandled the kid closer to the register. Janet handed him a bottle of water and some aspirin which he accepted.

At that moment BB walked into the store. Now, Bucky-Bob wasn’t the guy’s name, it was a nickname Janet had given him in her head. He was called Bucky or Bobby or something similar but she couldn’t remember what exactly, since he had only told her once and it hadn’t stuck, so she called him Bucky-Bob in her head. Sometimes she shortened it to BB.

He was an odd case, Bucky-Bob. A heavy drinker, for sure, but so were most of the guys around here. All running from _something_. He picked up supplies once a month and that’s the only time he was seen. For the most part he kept to himself in his cabin in the woods.

Mesh went to tend to the register. Janet stayed with the kid. He sneezed, rather violently, then he winced and sniffled.

‘Sorry.’

‘No worries. You got a cold?’

‘Massive,’ he sighed.

To Janet’s surprise, Bucky-Bob was standing beside her now. He handed the kid a pack of tissues. The kid unpacked one and blew his nose.

‘Thanks,’ he mumbled. He looked up at Bucky-Bob with a tired eye. BB crouched so their faces were level with each other, then he said to Janet’s surprise:

‘Mitchell, right?’

The kid flinched.

‘How’d you…?’

‘Relax, it’s been all over the news. Eye patch kind of gave you away.’

The kid touched the eye patch with the tip of his fingers like he couldn’t quite believe it was there.

‘Oh… right.’

Bucky-Bob stood up and turned to Janet.

‘Kid got kidnapped by his father. Dickhead escaped from jail to do it.’ He looked at Mitchell. ‘Did he torture you?’

‘Sort of,’ Mitchell mumbled. He sneezed again and blew his nose before he continued: ‘He’s been… trying to make… a man… out of me.’

‘A man?’ Mesh asked. ‘Why?’

Janet thought maybe the kid blushed, but it was hard to tell when he was in this flushed, feverish state.

‘Lots of… reasons… No immune system… tons of… allergies… fuck.’ His head began to swim again. Mitchell forced himself to stay awake. He was having serious trouble breathing and the lack of oxygen was making him tired. ‘Crappy eyesight…’

‘Well, obviously,’ Mesh said and indicated the eye patch.

Bucky-Bob said:

‘Look, Mesh, call the police again and tell them we have the kid who’s been missing. We need to keep an eye out because if he escaped he’s most likely being hunted.’

Mesh grabbed the phone but froze when he heard a voice say:

‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you.’

Janet and BB both turned around to look at the person who had entered. A man of average size and build was standing leaning against the door frame. He looked nonchalant enough if it wasn’t for the fact that he had a sawed-off shotgun leaned against his shoulder.

‘You’re a fast little fucker,’ he said and gestured towards Mitchell with his gun. Mitchell flipped him off. ‘Ooh feisty,’ Ken continued. ‘Now, let’s get this straight. You’ve already called the police. That is a problem.’ He closed the door and bolted the lock. Janet inched closer to the register. ‘Don’t you dare press that button I assume you have under there. Not that it will make much of a difference since they’re on their way already. Well, I suppose we’ve got ourselves a hostage situation now.’

‘Now, listen…’ Janet started. That’s when the kid started coughing so hard he almost toppled over. Bucky-Bob who was closest to him was at his side in an instant, supporting him. This surprised Janet who would have betted money that BB never cared about anything other than booze.

‘I got you…’ he mumbled to the kid.

Mitchell spit up a yellow lump of mucus in the trash can.

‘Hard… to breathe…’

‘Sounds like you’ve gotten pneumonia.’

‘Probably… fuck…’

‘You asthmatic?’

‘…no.’

Bucky-Bob promptly ignored the man with the weapon and went and got whatever blanket-ish item he could find and made a nest on the floor. He placed Mitchell there. Ken watched him do it, but he didn’t take his gun off him the whole time. Janet didn’t press the alarm button when Ken’s eyes were off her. She did, however, press the button that streamed her footage directly to the police station. As I have already told you, Janet had lived a tough life. It had taught her to be careful.

‘Kid’s got pneumonia. Now, you either let him go and get to a hospital or you risk his life by keeping him here,’ BB said to Ken.

‘He won’t die. It’ll make him stronger.’

Mitchell coughed. Janet winced from the sound. It rattled his ribcage and made his entire face red from the exertion. He’s going to die in here, she thought. The kid’s going to die in here and if he does, so does everyone else. This guy means business.

 

\--------------------------------

 

Janet looked over at Mitchell. His eye was glazed over and she was sure he was running a very high fever at this point. Ken was still sitting on the chair by the door, pointing his shot gun at the young man in the blanket nest on the floor.

‘We’ve gathered quite a good crowd,’ he said, looking out the window on the door.

‘What’s your plan?’ she asked. ‘You do realize you’re stuck in here, right?’

‘For now,’ Ken said.

‘Forever. There’s no escape. The police have this place surrounded. There are no adjoining buildings to hide in. There’s just… wilderness.’

‘And they know that if they breach this place, the kid is as good as dead. They won’t risk that.’

‘At least let me give him _something_ to knock down the fever. He’s burning up and he can hardly breathe.’

‘Where do you keep it?’

‘Behind the counter.’

Ken looked at the flushed boy in the blankets. The only reason he was still sitting up was because BB was supporting him. He was afraid his breathing would stop altogether if Mitchell laid down.

‘He might be burning up but he’s shivering like he’s cold,’ BB said to Janet. She took her hoodie off and handed it to Mitchell.

‘Here, kid. Put it on, you might feel better. I’ll get whatever little medicine I’ve got in here, alright?’

‘Thank… you.’

BB helped get Mitchell in the new hoodie, on top of the one he was already wearing, as Janet walked behind the counter. Good thing the kid was scrawny and Janet was not. Her previous occupation had demanded she was in good shape. She turned her back at Ken to rummage through the apothecary shelves as if she wasn’t sure what she was looking for, even though she knew perfectly well where she kept what. Once she “finally” found what she was looking for, she straightened her back and cracked it, making sure she showed her t-shirt to the camera above the shelf.

 

\------------------------------

 

Officer Jasper Dirk, from the upstate New York police department, who had been tasked with watching the live feed of the cameras, flinched in his seat.

He knew Janet well by now. She had had her shop running for over ten years at this point. Every night she was kind enough to serve him coffee on his way back from patrolling so he wouldn’t fall asleep behind the wheel. He fumbled with the walkie talkie and said:

‘Sir! Mr… officer… Sheriff Jones, sir! You need to see this!’

Sheriff Jones burst into the office not one minute later with both Kelly and Sandra in his wake. Officer Dirk rewind the tape to show them what had made him react the way he did. The camera showed the back of Janet as she was hunching over, before she straightened and cracked her back. The cameras didn’t have any audio, but the video was clear enough.

‘What did you want me to see?’ Sheriff Jones asked.

‘This!’ Jasper said and froze the image. The front of Janet’s t-shirt had some kind of band logo on it that Jones had never heard of.

‘I’m afraid I’m not following.’

‘Okay, see, she’s had her hoodie on for the entire day, right?’ Jasper said. ‘She’s trying to save money on heating in the store, so she’d rather wear warmer clothes.’

‘Yes.’

‘And now she took it off. Right before she went close up on the camera.’

‘…alright.’

‘I.. I know that band, Mitchell listens to their music,’ Sandra said with a shaky breath.

‘But what does that prove?’ Kelly asked.

‘That the third door from the cashier’s desk is the one we need to take. Knowing Janet, it’s most likely unlocked just for situations like this. That’s what she’s trying to tell us.’

‘The third door?’

‘Three doors down. That’s the name of the band on her t-shirt. She’s standing in front of the cashier. I’m telling you, sheriff sir. The third door from the cashier, on the back, is unlocked.’

‘But why would she have a door unlocked, into the back of her store? That’s not safe.’

‘It’s her contingency plan, in case something like this happens. She’s… careful.’

Jasper was about to say what Janet really was, but he stopped himself in time. He had promised her.

‘Look, sir, just trust me on this. That’s the route the SWAT-team must take. It’s the safest way. I’ll bet my life on the fact that it’s not locked.’

 

\---------------------------

 

Everything suddenly went pitch black inside the shop. Janet had time to think, _this is it_ , before the smoke grenade broke through the window. She saw the kid hide his face in the bandana she had slipped him so he wouldn’t get sick from the smoke, then she hid her own nose and mouth in her t-shirt.

Janet threw herself on top of the kid and yelled for him to not move as the SWAT-team entered the building, guns blazing. There were shots fired, not only from Ken’s sawed off shotgun but also from the SWAT-team’s machine guns.

‘Suspect down,’ one of them said and Janet knew from experience that meant he was most likely dead.

‘Nobody move!’ One of the police officers called out. Not that Janet had planned to. She was very happy with staying alive, thank you very much.

‘Stay down,’ she said to Mitchell. ‘They’ll come get us soon.’

‘Yeah… thanks…’ he said. His breathing was getting more and more labored.

‘You’re in a really bad shape now, aren’t you?’ she asked.

‘I… yeah. Think… so…’

‘Look, I’ll make sure you’ll get an ambulance as soon as we’re out of here. Promise. You won’t die here, Mitchell. I’ll get you home to your family. They must be worried sick.’

He closed his eyes and smiled faintly.

‘He… always… is.’

‘ _He_ must love you very much.’

‘I… love him…’

‘I bet you do. He sounds amazing.’

She knew he was slipping into unconsciousness and she didn’t like it. Not with how little oxygen she figured his brain was getting right now.

‘The kid needs an ambulance right now!’ she called out. Strong black-clad arms heaved her from the ground and one of the SWATs picked Mitchell up and left with him. The other one, the one who had picked her from the ground, led her outside.

Janet was sat down on a cot and examined. She watched as Mitchell was given oxygen and rushed off in an ambulance. After that Bucky-Bob came walking out together with one of the SWAT-officers. His hands were cuffed behind his back. Janet frowned, hopped off the cot and jogged over to where they were helping him into one of the police cars.

‘That’s the wrong guy,’ she called out. ‘You have the wrong guy!’

BB shook his head. That’s when Janet realized the front of his hunter’s coat was covered in what were most likely blood and brains.

‘He’s dead, Jan. I couldn’t risk… risk him getting out again. Mitchell deserves better.’

Janet stared open mouthed while the police officer closed the door behind BB and drove off. Had he killed the father? Another one of the officers pointed towards where Ken was being rolled out on another cot. Or at least Janet assumed it was Ken. It was a dead body covered in a sheet. Only, were the head should be there was only a bloody, flat mess on the inside of the white fabric.

Bucky-Bob had shot Ken’s head off with his own shotgun.

Go figure, Janet thought.

 

\-------------------------------

 

Mitchell woke up in a hospital bed. He didn’t remember getting into one, but that made sense, considering how sick he had been when he finally passed out. That had been somewhere after he got into the ambulance but before he made it to the hospital. He remembered they had thought he had developed pneumonia because of the yellow lumps he kept coughing up, and not being able to breathe properly. It had felt like he was trying to breathe through a drinking straw or something.

He looked around. There was no one there to greet him when he woke up. Not his moms, not Connor, not anyone. He would have thought _someone_ would care enough to be there when he came to, but obviously not. He sulked for a few moments, before he started to actually take in his surroundings and noticed the balloons tied to the end of his bed. Then there was a collection of stuffed animals on the table instead of flowers. One of them, a shockingly pink dragon with big, glittery eyes had a small pinhole bouquet stuck to his little hand. Mitchell recognized it. It was the same one Connor had worn on his suit that time senior year of high school when they went to the Christmas Ball. He reached out and grabbed the dragon. It was the same one he had offhandedly commented on wanting when he saw it in the shop a few weeks back. Connor had remembered.

‘I hope you still like it,’ came his boyfriend’s shaky voice from the door. Mitchell turned around and saw him standing there, holding himself up on the door post, as if he needed it to ground him.

‘I love it,’ Mitchell whispered hoarsely and hugged the little dragon tight. Connor pushed off the door post and walked up to the bed where he sat himself down. He took Mitchell’s hand and he was very obviously crying now.

‘I thought for sure I had lost you this time,’ he whispered.

‘Why?’

‘I came home. You were gone. Your clothes, your meds, everything. I thought you had left. And when I finally saw your message I was worried it was too late. That he would have killed you before we could find you.’

Mitchell reached out and pulled Connor in for a long hug. He breathed in the smell of his boyfriend’s shampoo.

‘How long were you spaced out?’

‘A day and a half, if you’re to believe CJ. He came to the dorm looking for us when we had missed two practices. From that everything happened so fast. He called Travis and when he got there he forced me into the shower. That’s when we noticed your message.’

Mitchell wiped Connor’s tears off his cheeks and smiled.

‘I was hoping you’d find it. If you hadn’t, then I would be toast for sure.’

‘I’m happy you’re okay. You know, considering…’

‘ _I’m_ happy you came through the door this time,’ Mitchell laughed. Connor started laughing too.

‘Well, he’s dead now, so they’ve gone easy on the security this time.’

‘He’s dead? Ken’s _actually_ dead?’

Now Mitchell started crying. He didn’t know why, if it was from chock or relief or what. The tears just spilled over.

‘No, baby doll don’t cry. Please, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you didn’t know. I shouldn’t have told you so bluntly.’

Connor hugged him tight and rocked him. Slowly the tears subsided and Mitchell hugged him back. They sat like that when Mitchell’s moms and Hermes joined them.

 

\-----------------------------

 

‘So, what’s the damage?’ Mitchell asked the doctor. The woman pursed her lips while she looked at the chart, not that she needed to, Mitchell knew that, she was most likely just gathering her thoughts.

‘Well, you’ve had untreated pneumonia, which of course has left its marks on you. Your health wasn’t all that good to begin with, if I’m to believe your GP. Yes, we’ve talked. I needed a second opinion on you after seeing your… extensive… chart. You’ve developed a cold asthma, meaning you’ll most likely be needing an inhaler to help you through any respiratory diseases you might get in the future, and maybe also hay fewer season. That’s not for sure though, but I’m prescribing it just in case. Please, don’t be afraid to use it. Your bad eye is infected from the moldy air in the cabin you’ve spent your week in. We’ve cleaned it out for you and we’ll give you an ointment for that, too.’

Mitchell nodded slowly. Connor was eyeing him with worry in his eyes. Eventually a single tear trickled down Mitchell’s cheek. Connor wiped it away with his sleeve.

‘Do you want to talk to someone?’ his doctor asked.  ‘I can give you a referral to a psychiatrist who specializes in kidnapping victims, and you’ve been through it twice in your relatively short life. That’s bound to leave some mental scars.’

‘I… yeah. I think maybe that’s best,’ Mitchell said. Connor laced their fingers together and smiled reassuringly at him.

‘You’re lucky, though, with the social safety net you have around you,’ she said, no doubt referring to Connor and all their parents tucked away in the tiny room. Mitchell eyed all of them.

‘Yeah, I am,’ he smiled. ‘I’m very lucky.’


	8. Chapter 8 - epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The short spilogue where you get to know who Janet is and why BB did what he did. You might cry. I did while Writing it.

Janet entered the small coffee shop, looking around and she instantly spotted him. His hair had been dyed a soft pastel pink since they had last met, and it had been cut, but the eye patch was the same. He was sitting together with another boy his age and Janet thought that had to be the boyfriend they had talked about. He was cute, Janet had to give him that.

Mitchell saw her come in and waved. The other boy eyed her. He had big, blue eyes, innocent looking. He truly looked like a boy, not a young man. Curly, unruly hair, freckles and those big eyes.

‘Hi,’ she said when she entered the table.

Mitchell stood up and hugged her tight. She went stiff for a few seconds before she relaxed and hugged him back. She wasn’t used to be hugged.

‘Hi,’ Mitchell mumbled against her shoulder.

They sat down and Janet extended her hand towards the other boy. He shook it, but wouldn’t look her in the eyes as he said:

‘Connor.’

‘Janet.’

He was looking at Mitchell when he said:

‘You kept Mitchell alive.’

‘I did what I could. No one dies on my watch.’

Connor shifted in his seat, then he finally looked at her. He had restless eyes, she noticed. Most likely some kind of diagnose, like almost all the kids had these days. Not that she judged, it was merely an observation. Something she was trained to notice.

‘What is your watch?’ Connor asked. _Oh_ , Janet thought. _This kid was good_.

‘Do you really want to know?’ she asked.

‘Yeah. I want to know which agency I’m indebted to for saving my life,’ Connor said.

‘CIA,’ Janet said flatly.

‘Figured,’ Connor smiled. ‘Thank you.’

‘I’m retired though,’ she said. ‘Have been for years.’

‘Hidden in a forest in upstate New York,’ Mitchell said.

‘Something like that,’ she said and sipped her coffee.

‘How’s… BB?’ Mitchell asked.

‘He’s alright for now, in jail awaiting a trial. I went to see him a few days ago. I’ve been sending him packages with food and stuff, mostly things I remember that he likes from my shop. We’re pen pals now, I guess.’

‘Has he told you… why?’ Mitchell asked.

‘He did, as a matter of fact. In one of his letters. Do you want to read it?’

‘I think so,’ Mitchell whispered.

‘I’ve copied it for you, so you can keep it and read it later at home, if you want to.’

Mitchell nodded.

‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘Thank you, for… everything. I probably wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t kept me alive. I owe you my life.’

‘You don’t owe me shit, kid,’ Janet said. ‘I meant what I said. No one dies on my watch. Just… you know, live your life. Be happy. Take chances. Live.’

‘I will. _Janet says live_. That sounds like a great new life motto,’ he said and smiled faintly.

‘It does,’ Connor agreed.

Janet just shook her head and smiled.

 

\---------------------------

 

Later that night, when they were safe back in their dorm, Mitchell made himself comfortable and pulled out BB’s letter. Connor went into the common room kitchen to make them some tea and give his boyfriend a moment alone to read it.

Mitchell wasn’t sure if he was ready for this, but he supposed now was a good a time as any, and he wanted to get a glimpse inside BB’s head. He had spent a great deal of time thinking about the man. He was an enigma. Now he opened the letter and looked down at the neatly handwritten text.

 

_Dear Janet_

_I hope this letter finds you just as well as the others have. Today I made a friend, or, at least I think I did. This guy was threatening to beat the shit out of me and I said I was ex Special Forces so I would like to see him try. He’s been following me around like a dog ever since, holding on to my pant pocket._

_Jail is weird._

_In your last letter you asked me why. Why did I kill the bastard with the gun? Why did Mitchell matter so much to me that I was willing to kill for him?_

_Truth is, he doesn’t. Not directly, at least._

_Indirectly, he means the world. Kid reminded me so much of my son. Do I have a son, you ask. No, not anymore. I had one._

_It’s a sad story, really. His name was Michael. See, even the name fits. He was the only gay kid in school, and had a father who didn’t understand. A father who didn’t_ want _to understand. I thought that if I just ignored it, the problems would go away by themselves. Turns out things doesn’t work that way._

_Michael was bullied in school. Of course he was. The other kids somehow figured out he was gay and they were relentless. It was just words at first. Names scribbled in black marker on his locker: gaylord, fag, shit like that. I told him to ignore it. Real men don’t cry about their emotions._

_Right._

_After a while, the name calling wasn’t enough. He was pushed around a lot. Shoved. Kicked. Beaten. The boy came home with bruises every other day and I told him to fight back. Taught him how to defend himself._

_He was alone against a group of boys, five of them, one night. I wasn’t home, I was away on a mission, because I figured just because his mother left us, I shouldn’t have to quit my dream job just to take care of him. Kid was old enough to take care of himself. He was sixteen, after all._

_He got beaten up real bad. Didn’t go to school the day after. No one missed him the first couple days. Teacher’s had heard the rumors in the hallways about what had happened and figured they would cut him some slack. Give him a few days off so he could feel better. One week into the mission I got a call. He hadn’t been to school for four days so they tried calling the house. There was no answer. The school called the police._

_They found him dead in his bed._

_He had suffered an internal bleeding, probably died in his sleep only hours after the beating. I should have been there to take him to the hospital, or, even better, made sure he was never so badly beaten to begin with. I should have moved us, or called the police on his abusers earlier instead of trying to get him to stand up for himself._

_You see, the way I figure, I was just as bad as Ken._

_By killing him, I killed that version of me. The bad father. Now, maybe I can be a better person because of it. If I have to be that better person in prison for the rest of my life, then so be it._

_But Mitchell lives._

_Michael didn’t._

_Mitchell was God’s way of giving me a second chance to redeem myself and I’ll be damned if I didn’t take it._

_So now you know. My deepest, darkest secret. I hope it can make you understand, if maybe not accept, why someone would kill another human being. I’m not proud of what I did, but if Mitchell hadn’t lived, I would have felt even worse. The way things are now, he will never have to worry about that dick ever threatening him again._

_Thank you for the package you sent. The beef jerky was a really nice touch._

_Yours sincerely_

_BB_

Connor found Mitchell sobbing loudly into his pillow when he came back with their tea. He put them down on the desk and hurried over to their bed where he enveloped Mitchell in a hug. Mitchell nuzzled his face in Connor’s shoulder and Connor let him cry himself dry there before he pushed Mitchell off of him and eyed him carefully.

‘Want to talk about it?’

Mitchell sniffled.

‘I… I’ll read it to you.’

So he did, and when he was done Connor was crying too, then they decided that together they would go visit BB in jail because he deserved at least that.

He deserved a thank you in person.

**Author's Note:**

> I want to know what you guys Think. Hit me up either here or on tumblr. Same nickname <3


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